Journalist Hasan Tahsin, who fired the first bullet against the occupation of Izmir, was not forgotten on the 104th anniversary of his martyrdom. His colleagues commemorated Hasan Tahsin in front of his monument in Konak.
Journalist Hasan Tahsin, who became the symbol of resistance by firing the first bullet on May 15, 1919, when the occupation of İzmir began, was commemorated with a ceremony in front of the First Bullet Monument in Konak Atatürk Square. İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Mayor Mustafa Özuslu, Konak Mayor Abdül Batur, İzmir Journalists Association President Dilek Gappi and journalists attended the commemoration ceremony. After a moment of silence and the singing of the National Anthem, a wreath was laid at the monument by the President of the Izmir Journalists' Association Dilek Gappi.
“This country has brave journalists”
Speaking at the ceremony, İzmir Journalists Association President Dilek Gappi drew attention to the imprisoned journalists and said, “The number of journalists arrested in the last year is 47… 96 journalists were physically attacked, access to 4 news and 148 news sites was banned. Millions of lira fines rained down on television and newspapers. Yet this country has brave journalists and they have not stopped. They revealed the inner face of the sects. They exposed those who married 46-year-old children. We exposed the corruption in public tenders worth millions of liras, the money boxes of the communities, and those who are rich with public money. We will continue to be the nightmare of all. Just like Hasan Tahsin, we will not be silent and we will not stop. History is not oppression, cruelty, katakulli, those who created a system with state money; will remember us. "The democratic quality of a country is largely determined by the quality of its press, respect for the truth, and tolerance for freedom of opinion," he said.
“An independent country, a democratic and free life”
Noting that they are at the place where the greatest resistance in history started against imperialism today, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Mayor Mustafa Özuslu said, “The date was 1919. It was the 15th of May. A hero in Izmir said the first sentence of the Anatolian liberation epic: 'You start, the finisher is found.' These words lit the spark of the struggle for independence for a whole country with women, old people, children and young people. The name of the hero who lit the first fire that the public was waiting for was Hasan Tahsin. Right here… The first bullet was fired at the occupying armies. That bullet became the courage and hope of a country that was plunged into despair.”
Expressing that Hasan Tahsin had no doubts while sacrificing his life for the independence of this paradise, Özuslu said, “Because he had a dream. An independent country, a democratic and free life,” he said.