'My Family is Safe' operations statement from CHP's Gökçen at the European Council

Access barriers on social media, which started especially after the operations against LGBTI+ people, continue.

The wave of censorship in question has recently been brought to the European agenda.

NEW Party Izmir Deputy Gökçe Gökçen spoke about the My Family is Safe operations at the General Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Gökçen asked parliamentarians from European countries, "Has any government representative asked you, 'Why are you spending money to disrupt public order in my country?'?" He called out, drawing attention to the contradiction that emerged over the accusations against the funds of European institutions and states.

EXPLAINED WITH EXAMPLES ONE BY ONE

Gökçen's speech is as follows:

"Those arrested in operations carried out under the name My Family is Safe ask a very simple question: 'Isn't my family a family?' Because these operations did not only target LGBTI people, they also targeted their families who defend their rights. Academics, journalists, activists and feminists were targeted. And dozens of social media accounts are blocked every day. Independent news platform T24 was completely shut down on the grounds that it was making so-called LGBTI propaganda. "The accusations against LGBTI associations are related to the funds received from the French Embassy, the German Embassy, the Dutch Embassy, the United Nations Development Program and even from this very institution, the Council of Europe."

"THESE ASSOCIATIONS FACE THE RISK OF BEING CLOSED..."

"I will give you an example; in the investigation file about an association, there is 519 dollars sent once from the Council of Europe. These associations are at risk of being closed down, and the investigation file clearly contains the allegation of disrupting public order and damaging social values. Let's talk clearly about what this means. According to this allegation, foreign states, including those represented here, finance their efforts to disrupt Turkey's social values and family structure through LGBTI associations."

"Isn't there a STRANGE CONTRADICTION HERE?"

"Dear friends, especially friends from France, Germany and the Netherlands, I have a question for you: If any government representative asks you, 'Why are you spending money to disrupt public order in my country?' Did he ask? In all these discussions this week, I have never heard such a warning. If you have not received such a warning, then I must ask you: Isn't there a strange contradiction here?