Dear Turkish American community of Southern California,
Reflecting the predominant voice of the Turkish-American community in Southern California, ATASC board directors express disappointment over the July 5th interview by the President of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA), Mr. Mehmet Celebi, for the Turkish NY online newspaper. Speaking on behalf of the ATAA member associations, including ATASC, Mr. Celebi attempted to justify the inert position assumed by the Assembly regarding the recent Gezi Park protests in Turkey.
ATASC members are disheartened by ATAA’s inadequate response to the public indignation in Turkey. Such stance clearly does not reflect the mainstream view of ATAA’s constituency. We also strongly disagree with Mr. Celebi’s position that exercising the right for free expression over the events in Turkey damages the country’s image. On the opposite, it unites the Turkish-American grassroots in pursuit of liberty and justice, the founding principles of both Turkish and American establishments, which our community organizations have championed since their inception. ATASC has made clear in its announcements that it deplores the use of disproportionate police force against the demonstrators in Turkey and respects the community’s inalienable right to protest it.
As a long-time member association, ATASC commends ATAA’s efforts to unite the Turkish-American grassroots nationwide for over three decades. During this time, ATAA has advocated our interests tirelessly confronting the racist defamation by the anti-Turkish lobbies. We continue to support ATAA’s fine work in this direction and hope that its leadership will strive to better represent the views of its membership on all issues.
ATASC Board
