Atatürk University orchestrated the March to Condemn Israel in opposition to Israel's shelling of Gaza.

In response to the Israeli assaults on Gaza, academics, students, and members of the public congregated at the Darül Fünun Mosque on the university campus following Friday prayers, where they chanted anti-Israeli slogans.

Vice rectors, faculty deans, academic and administrative staff, Metropolitan Deputy Mayor Fevzi Polat, Aşkale Mayor Ahmet Yaptırmış, students, anda citizens were in attendance at the march.

Associate Dr. Muhammed Lüfti Kındığılı, an academic member in the Basic Education Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Atatürk University, stated on behalf of the academicians that they had assembled with academic and administrative staff and students of the university to denounce the genocide in Gaza perpetrated by the Israeli government, which is considered a terrorist state, and to demand that those culpable for the atrocities be held accountable.

Assoc. Dr. Kındığılı: "Israel bears the humanitarian burden of the brutal, merciless, unscrupulous, and unlawful killing or injury of tens of thousands of Gaza residents in Gaza since October 7, 2023, for nearly seventy-five years. Academics, who advocate for halting this atrocity, are appealing to the entirety of humanity.

As well as human conscience and morality, international law, the law of war, and international criminal law all classify Israel's slaughter of infants, children, women, unarmed civilians, and journalists in Gaza as a war crime. Israel's bombardment of Gaza, including schools, hospitals, civilian residences, mosques and churches, refugee centers, and ambulances transporting injured individuals, constitutes a war crime.

Crimes against humanity include the Israeli destruction of Gaza's cultural heritage, the use of phosphorus bombs, the mistreatment of prisoners, the strategic implementation of hunger and thirst, the imposition of an embargo on energy and other essentials, the forced migration of 1.5 million individuals from Gaza, and the commission of genocide.

"Unconditional political and military support for Israel by the United States is an offense against humanity. Israel's violations of all rights and freedoms, particularly the right to life of Gazaians, are inexcusable. However, certain European Union administrators' pro-war rhetoric constitutes a crime against humanity for an organization that claims to be the origin of human rights and freedoms. Urgent action is required from humanity in order to fulfill this responsibility. We invite all the academics of the world, especially those in our country, not to remain silent about this genocide with fundamental and noble anger." he finished his remarks.

At the eagle gate of the university, a large congregation of citizens and university members carried Turkish and Palestinian flags as they concluded their March to Condemn Israel with the national anthem.

Directorate of Corporate Communications – November 17, 2023