Locals protest tree cutting by Cengiz Holding at Kaz Mountains for copper mine project

Locals and environmentalists gathered at the construction site for a copper mine project site of Cengiz Holding, a close ally of the Turkish government, to protest the ongoing tree cutting that would deforest the area and harm the neighboring villages at the Kaz Mountains.

Sunday November 10 2024 01:58 pm

Villager women hold a banner in front of the tree cutting site that reads, "Get out of Kaz Mountains Cengiz Holding."

Seçkin Sağlam / Gazete Duvar

Protesters gathered on Nov. 9 at a copper mine exploration project in Turkey’s western Kaz (Ida) Mountains. Project owner and government collaborator Cengiz Holding has been cutting trees in the forest for the past ten days.

Environmentalists from the neighboring Bayramiç, Çan, and Ezine districts and provinces including Çanakkale, Balıkesir, and Istanbul, gathered in the Bayramiç area.

Chanting, “We don’t want a gold mine in Kaz Mountains,” many people entered the area where the trees were being cut. Before the protest, the gendarmerie set up a barricade to block environmentalists from accessing the cutting zone. After the gendarmerie withdrew, the crowd entered the area in a procession.

The protest included Bayramiç Mayor Cem Atılgan, Çanakkale provincial council members, representatives from political parties, and civil society organizations.

A delegation from the main opposition People’s Republican Party (CHP) stood guard in the area and participated in the protest. The delegation included CHP Deputy Chair Erhan Adem, Çanakkale MPs İsmet Güneşhan and Özgür Ceylan, Adana MP Ayhan Barut, Manisa MP Bekir Başevirgen, CHP Party Assembly member Baran Bozoğlu, Bursa MP Orhan Sarıbal, and Tekirdağ MP İlhami Özcan Aygün.

Çanakkale Mayor Muharrem Erkek attended with his wife, and the pro-Kuridsh Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party provincial organization and People’s Democratic Congress (HDK) co-spokesperson Ali Kenanoğlu were also present.

Women from villages under threat from the mine spoke during the protest. They stated that they didn’t want to hand over their land to Cengiz corporation, saying, “You can’t even break a branch in their country, but here they come and destroy our nature.”

In a press statement during the protest, the environmental damage expected from the mining project was highlighted. Kazdağları Ecology Platform noted that nearly a million trees would be cut for the mine project, and said, “The neighboring villages will be destroyed, and dozens of villages will be negatively affected. Three of our villages, along with fertile farmland, will be erased from the map.”

The protesters asked how could the Çanakkale Governor’s Office grant a public health permit and operation license to a project that took over farmland, destroyed forests, and seized water sources while local people struggled with water scarcity. “Did you feel no remorse? Isn’t it your duty to protect villagers and citizens? Revoke the permits and licenses you issued immediately,” demanded the protesters.

(English version by Ayşenaz Toptaş)