JINHA

NEWS CENTER – In the wake of the bombing of a HDP rally on Friday, citizens of Diyarbakır were in the streets throughout the day yesterday.

With the people flooding to mass funerals for bombing victims yesterday, NGOs also held a march to condemn the bombing. Representatives from countless NGOs based in the city held a march behind a massive banner reading, "in spite of everything, peace."

As the march poured through the streets to the accompaniment of drivers honking their horns in support, dozens of citizens poured out of passing buses to join the march. Children were a strong presence in the march. The marchers reached the electrical transformer that had been bombed. Thousands left carnations at the site of the explosion and held a minute of respect for the victims of the massacre.

"To show how much I wanted peace, I got up on top of the transformer to applaud the speakers as much as I could," said an attendee who had been wounded in the massacre.

"Just when we were saying 'fraternity,' suddenly it turned into a war zone. I was suddenly meters away from where I was and when I opened my eyes there were children with their legs gone. The woman next to me had lost her leg and her dress was in pieces. It was a terrible moment. But still, in defiance, I'm saying 'peace.' As someone who lived those moments, I'm inviting everyone to remain calm."

Afterwards, many citizens reacted harshly to the total absence of the mainstream media. "We don't want to see the partisan media in the [Kurdistan] region any more," said one citizen.

The crowd continued marching to the HDP province building. Marches continued throughout the day, with the sound of car horns, chanting and noise demos never absent for a single moment in any neighborhood of the city.

(zd-şg/fk/cm)