A large number of politicians, singers and social media users have shared videos of their Kurdish song performances and those of Kurdish singers in protest after police officers recently prevented four young street performers from singing in Kurdish in İstanbul’s popular İstiklal Street.
In a video posted on Twitter over the weekend, the group is seen performing a Kurdish song on İstiklal Street when they are approached by police officers who warn them to stop singing. When the music suddenly stops, the audience is heard urging them to continue.
According to a report by the Mezopotamya news agency on Monday, the singers were later taken into custody where they were subjected to mistreatment. They were cursed at by police officers who seized their instruments and the money they earned by singing in the streets, and made them pay to get their instruments back, Mezopotamya said.
Meral Danış Beştaş, parliamentary group deputy chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), on Monday sang the same song performed by the street musicians during a press conference at parliament, protesting the police ban on Kurdish songs.
Li hember hemu êrîş û zextan emê ziman û mûzîk a Kurdî bi parêzin!
Bi xeml û rewş e, şêrîn û xweş e
Şêrîn û xweş e, zimanê kurdî
Bi xweş awaz e, letîf û naz e,
Letîf û naz e, zimanê kurdî#MûzîkaKurdî pic.twitter.com/eqiGGCJ8go— HDP İstanbul (@HDPistanbul) February 1, 2022