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Deputy ends protest, shaves off beard as state of emergency lifted
Deputy ends protest, shaves off beard as state of emergency lifted
A lawmaker of Turkey’s main opposition party, Aytuğ Atıcı, had his long beard shaved off as he had promised after the two-year-long state of emergency was lifted on July 19.
Atıcı, a deputy elected from the southern province of Mersin for the third term, went to the parliament’s barber shop. He was accompanied by fellow Republican People’s Party (CHP) lawmakers.
He started the protest after the Turkish government declared the state of emergency following a coup attempt on July 15, 2016. Atıcı said the emergency rule was not necessary to fight against terrorism and coup plotters, claiming that the government grabbed the opportunity to extend its authority beyond the laws.
His beard grew to 31 centimeters in two years, he told reporters at the barber shop. He recalled being nicknamed “Santa Claus” or “Grandpa emergency rule” by some citizens.
He was also likened to Karl Marx, German philosopher and revolutionary socialist theorist, and Gandalf, a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels.
“It has been 792 days now… I have done the longest political action in parliament history. I wish I was not the owner of this record,” Atıcı said.
Referring to the introduction of a draft anti-terror bill which will bolster the powers of Turkish authorities in detaining suspects and imposing public order for a period of three years, he added: “Are we happy? No. The emergency rule will be maintained permanently for three years.”
Atıcı also stated that he plans to narrate his two-year-long protest in a book.
Photos: Anadolu Agency
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