In the Kurtderesi neighborhood of Hatay Samandağ, construction equipment entered the neighborhood in the morning, accompanied by the police, as the judicial process against the decision of expropriation continues. Teams supported by TOMAs uprooted olive and tangerine trees.
Some villagers tried to prevent the demolition by lying in front of the construction equipment. While many citizens had a nervous breakdown, the teams accompanied by security forces cut down most of the trees.
Neighborhood resident Bereket Kılınç said that nearly 70 percent of the trees were cut down and that the demolition continued despite the resistance of the villagers. Kılınç said that their land was usurped on the grounds of a post-earthquake housing project and that they would not back down.
Residents of Kurtderesi protested, saying, “Our livelihoods are being destroyed under the pretext of the needs of earthquake victims.”
September 2, 2025
BirGün