Turkish Parliament Establishes Inquiry Commission into School Attacks in Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş
Ankara, April 22 – The Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) has unanimously approved the establishment of an inquiry commission to investigate recent school attacks in Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş. The commission will also examine the risks and negative impacts children face in digital environments, aiming to develop solutions and preventive measures for similar incidents.
The decision was made during a General Assembly meeting chaired by Deputy Speaker Celal Adan, where discussions were also held on the ‘Social Services Law and Amendments to Certain Laws Bill,’ which includes regulations on maternity leave and social media use for individuals under 15.
School Bell Rings in General Assembly
During the unscheduled speeches, AK Party Istanbul Deputy Yücel Arzen Hacıoğulları rang a school bell, stating, “Dear Assembly, today I came here not just to speak, but to raise our children and our nation. Our pain in Kahramanmaraş is great, but the future of this nation cannot be surrendered to fear. The bell has rung; like Hafize Ana from Hababam Sınıfı, I invite you to class, to overcome our fears. To Mehmet Akif, who said ‘Do not fear,’ we respond ‘We do not fear.’ Our teacher Yusuf Tekin, like the heroic teacher Ayla Kara, invites you to class; do you not hear? He is taking attendance. The bell has rung. Now is not the time to irresponsibly spread blame; now is the time to call children to class. In two days, it will be April 23, Atatürk’s gift to us and all the children of the world. Education does not stop; no stopping, keep going. The bell has rung, come on Turkey, come on, class is starting.”
‘School is Where Violence Becomes Visible’
Following the one-minute speeches by deputies, group deputy chairs evaluated the country’s agenda. Subsequently, discussions began on the joint motion submitted by all political parties to the TBMM Presidency, titled ‘Investigation of incidents in schools in Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş, risks and negative effects of children’s involvement in digital environments, development of solutions, and determination of measures to prevent similar incidents.’
New Path Group Deputy Chair Bülent Kaya commented on the motion, saying, “The increasing incidents of violence in educational institutions can no longer be seen as ‘isolated incidents.’ Each incident tells us a similar truth: something is going wrong, and most importantly, these wrong things are growing every day. I must state clearly: School is not where violence begins; school is where violence becomes visible. So, if school is where violence becomes visible, where does that violence begin? That violence begins at home, in the streets, on screens, in silence. The breakdown we are experiencing today is not only sociological but also a moral erosion.”
‘You Are Responsible’
CHP Istanbul Deputy Suat Özçağdaş reminded the assembly of school attacks, stating, “Teacher Ayla Kara shielded herself. Belinay, Furkan, Bayram, Adnan, Yusuf Tarık, Kerem Erdem, Şuranur, and Zeynep died there. Almina’s condition is critical, Zişan is at risk, Osman, Mustafa, and Ayşima are also in intensive care. Four of these children; Furkan, Bayram Nabi, Adnan, and Yusuf Tarık had a WhatsApp group called ‘Believer Brothers’; the believer brothers will never chat again. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on May 20, 2014, ‘As the Prime Minister of this country, I openly state that even a sheep caught by a wolf on the banks of the Tigris is my responsibility.’ Twelve years later, I say; as someone who has repeatedly submitted motions, draft laws, and spoken in inquiry commissions, I say; you are responsible. With the motions, laws, and proposals you did not accept, you are responsible. In a country, during a minister’s term, 40 citizens, 29 of whom were children, died. I ask Yusuf Tekin, who will raise a virtuous generation, what would be the virtuous behavior for a minister under whose tenure 40 citizens died in the field of education? A minister who ignores warnings; a President who has changed the Minister of National Education nine times, said that if a wolf catches a sheep on the banks of the Tigris, he is responsible.”
‘Digital Platforms Normalize Violence, Anger, and Aggression’
MHP Kahramanmaraş Deputy Zuhal Karakoç emphasized that due to the attacks, the state needs to be more careful, families more conscious, schools better equipped, and society more responsible. She stated, “This issue is a matter of family, health, law, digital security, culture, urban life, and ultimately, national security. Here, sagacity is needed before harshness. Measure is needed before prohibition, preventive wisdom before punishment, and early warning before intervention. Of course, the law will operate, of course, the responsible parties will be held accountable, of course, negligence will be revealed, but deeper than that, we must also understand in what world our children are growing up, what influences they are exposed to, what forms of loneliness they are struggling with, and into what voids of meaning they are being dragged. The digital threat that besieges our future and our children, who are the guarantee of our future, is insidiously and silently penetrating their innocent minds, pure souls, words, and behavioral patterns. Uncontrolled spread of digital platforms, social media channels, virtual chat rooms that normalize and encourage violence, anger, and aggression are inflicting wounds on our angel-faced children that will result in heavy, irreparable costs.”
‘No Precautions Taken for Any Imminent Disaster’
İYİ Party Group Deputy Chair Uğur Poyraz stated that generational changes are harsh and that the internet, social media, gaming platforms, and artificial intelligence are indispensable. He said, “It is certainly not possible to place the responsibility solely on the government in this matter; we are all responsible, without saying ‘politics, society, individual.’ However, with the one-man regime you have created, power and authority rest with only one will and the executive appointed by that will. With this power and authority, devoid of foresight, no precautions were taken for any disaster that was ‘coming.’ After every pain experienced, the first thing that came to your mind was just to impose bans. We have repeatedly stated in every forum; peer bullying, drugs, lack of cleanliness, personnel, teachers, guidance in schools, children’s anxiety about the future, unconscious parents, violent language, inspiring TV series, movies. We said all of these, explained them, nothing was left unsaid. You know all of them, in fact, you are much more knowledgeable than us, but instead of banging your fist on the table and acting like a deputy of the nation, you tried to defend the inadequacies of foresight-lacking secretary ministers and incompetent bureaucrats by putting up various excuses.”
‘We Are Facing a Multi-Layered Problem’
AK Party Sinop Deputy Nazım Maviş said, “The armed attacks in our schools have deeply shaken not only our two cities but our entire nation. These incidents impose on each of us, the intellectuals, academics, and politicians of this country, the task of deeply questioning and analyzing the problem we face. If we discuss the issue by simply reducing it only to school and school safety, we will fall into error. Let’s question the school, the teacher, our disciplinary system, of course, but we must also discuss the family, the social environment, virtual environments, and the deep psychological and sociological problems caused by modernism. We are facing a multi-layered problem. Therefore, we must discuss this problem in a multi-layered and multi-dimensional way. While discussing these, each of us must discuss it collaboratively without sacrificing the issue to daily political gain calculations or falling into any political opportunism. Therefore, I find the establishment of this commission very valuable because it will provide an opportunity to discuss the issue in all its dimensions. While discussing this problem, we must discuss the results produced by an educational ecosystem through all its parts. The problem is not just installing X-ray devices at the school gate but transforming the school, family, society, student, and teacher, that is, the ecosystem.”
Commission Established
After the evaluations made by political party representatives were completed, Deputy Speaker Adan put the motion to a vote. The motion was accepted with the votes of all parties, and an inquiry commission was established.
Source: https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/yerel-haberler/ankara/tbmm-genel-kurulunda-sanliurfa-ve-kahramanmar-43156275
