Berkay Sağol
Peasants and environmental defenders who reject the bill, known in public as the “super permit” because it opens olive groves to mining activities, will gather tomorrow in Muğla Menteşe for the ‘We Won’t Give Up Our Land’ rally. In Muğla, where 48 villages are under threat from a bill that would allow energy and mining companies to plunder nature, the protest, organised at the call of the Muğla Environmental Platform and the We Won’t Give Up Our Land Platform, will take place tomorrow at 4 p.m. in Menteşe.
PARTIES WILL SUPPORT
CHP General Chairman Özgür Özel, DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları, SOL Party MYK Member İlknur Başer, and EMEK Party General Chairman Seyit Aslan will also attend the rally to support the fight for nature in Akbelen and İkizköy. The rally will be a voice of strong solidarity from different segments of society.
In a joint statement issued by the platforms, they said, “We will not give up our fundamental rights against the Super Occupation Law; we will not give up our land. Law No. 7554 is a regulation that violates the people’s rights to property, justice and a dignified life.
Under the guise of urgency and overriding public interest, authority is being transferred to companies, administrative decisions are being bypassed, and property rights are effectively being disregarded. This system, which appears legal on paper, is not legitimate in the conscience of the people and has no place in our lives. The Occupation Law No. 7554 establishes a super-permit regime that renders control mechanisms such as EIA, zoning, forestry, and pastureland ineffective, thereby allocating state power to corporate interests. This law allows for the seizure of peasants’ lands through urgent expropriation decisions, disregarding property rights.
The statement emphasised that this unconstitutional regulation constitutes an open land grab against natural resources and the independence of small producers, adding: “This law, which leaves the protection of olive groves on paper and hands them over to companies, and which separates pastures from the common good of the people, disregards our right to life, our legal guarantees and our common values. We reject this imposition by the corporatised state administration. This rejection is not only about defending our living spaces; it is about defending our property rights, our freedom, and our most fundamental human rights. We will fight for the repeal and non-implementation of this law. We call on all citizens to amplify our demand for rights, law, and justice in the face of this injustice.”
AGRICULTURE IS OUR HERITAGE
Ahmet Aras, Mayor of Muğla Metropolitan Municipality and President of the Aegean Coastal Municipalities Union, said in a statement before the rally: “Muğla’s nature, olive groves and agricultural lands are our greatest asset, our heritage. Protecting these lands is not only the right of today’s generation, but also of future generations. Do not touch our olive trees, because our olive trees are the insurance of our nature and our health. We stand with our villagers in the process unfolding in Akbelen and İkizköy. The ‘We Will Not Give Up Our Land’ rally will be the strongest expression of this determination and solidarity. We invite all our citizens to be the voice of Akbelen on Sunday.”
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled 48 köy toprak işgaline karşı tek ses olacak, published in BirGün newspaper on September 27, 2025.
