On August 19, the colonialist Turkish state seized local administrations of three major cities of North Kurdistan, Diyarbakır, Van and Mardin, by appointing colonialist trustees in the place of elected mayors. Hundreds were detained in operations carried out in tandem. Following the suspension of the mayors, police forces laid a siege on the three municipalities and launched a crackdown against HDP members and people who took to the streets in protest at the unlawful seizure of their municipalities. However peoples of North Kurdistan and Turkey keep on protesting this anti-democratic fascist move of Erdoğan's state in various cities.{divide}

DIYARBAKIR

Protests in Diyarbakır have continued on day two. The police closed off all streets surrounding the municipality's building.

Despite the police blockade, hundreds of party members and city residents have gathered in the area since the morning. The crowd gathered on the Lise Avenue leaned on police barricades and chanted slogans.
As the HDP Co-chair Sezai Temelli, DTK Co-chair Berdan Ozturk, HDK Co-spokespersons Gulistan Kilic Kocyigit and Sedat Senoglu and DBP Co-chair Mehmet Arslan joined to the crowd, the police attacked the protesters with tear gas and water cannon. While the crowd kept on resisting for hours, HDP MP Ayse Acar Basaran has been injured during the attacks and hospitalized by the help of party members.

MARDIN

As the deputies and people of Amed continue resisting the violent police aggression, people of Mardin, including MPs, have also taken to the streets to reclaim their municipalities.
Police attacked the HDP politicians and people with water cannon and tear gas as they wanted to march to the municipality building.
Resisting the attack, the HDP group and people closed the Mardin-Kızıltepe road to traffic, upon which the crackdown got even more violent.
One person was injured during the attack.

ISTANBUL

Lawyers and members of the parliament gathered in front of the Çağlayan Courthouse in Istanbul today to make a press statement in protest at the AKP government's illegal seizure of the metropolitan municipalities of Amed, Mardin and Van.
Lawyers and deputies were brutally attacked and dragged on the ground by the police. Journalist Ahmet Şık was among those violently battered by the police.
Speaking on behalf of the lawyers here, Gökmen Yeşil said the following; "We are here, and we will continue to be here for the mothers who reclaim their will by not only casting a vote at the polls but by making their bodies a shield before tanks. I send greetings from Turkey's western cities to the Kurdish cities. We will shatter this darkness and the will of oppressed peoples will eventually free our municipalities of fascism."
While HDP MP Züleyha Gülüm accused the government of trying to rule the country with fascism, IHD Co-president Eren Keskin said; "The Şark Islahat Planı (Eastern Reformation Plan) that has been implemented since the very beginning of the Republic era is being perpetuated today. Those resisting will change the world."