Hürriyet ve İstikbal Derneği | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Alaattin Kürşat Derebaş |
| Founder | Alaattin Kürşat Derebaş |
| Headquarters | Gebze,Kocaeli Province,Turkey |
| Ideology | Turkish nationalism Pan-Turkism Turanism Ultranationalism Anti-communism Anti-immigration |
| Political position | Far-right |
TheTurkists of Gebze (Turkish: Gebzeli Türkçüler) is a Turkish ultranationalist group based inGebze.
The group was founded after theCOVID-19 pandemic ended by Derebaş, in 2023, also became the district governor forGebze District for theVictory Party. At only 19 years old, he became the youngest person in all of Turkey to be party chairman of district.[1]The group is known to hold public marches anytime Turkish soldiers are martyred.[2][3] The group also uses various slogans such as 'martyrs never die, the homeland never divides', 'heroes give their lives to let the nation live', and 'how happy is the one who says I am a Turk'. Its leader, Alaattin Derebaş, is known for his very emotional and passionate speeches which he usually makes loudly after the group's rallies. Derebaş advises every Turk to "be a nationalist" and threatened the Turks who are not nationalists by saying they "will be the first to be tried".[4] Derebaş also stated that the group will not meet with any organisation or politician that isAnti-Turkish, or critical ofMustafa Kemal Atatürk and the Republic of Turkey.[5]
The group collaborated with theTurkists of Izmit (İzmitli Türkçüler), an almost identical but separate organisation led by Recep Mert, who ran forMP for the Victory Party in Kocaeli Province.[6][7] They made a statement against Syrian asylum seekers in 2023. Both Mert and Derebaş was present, in which Derebaş accused Arab refugees in Turkey of being invaders. He stated that Turkey "is not a holiday resort" for them, and that "the Turkists will continue their war for this homeland with the same spirit and consciousness, just as they fought in China a thousand years ago, and just as they fought inÇanakkale 100 years ago". He says that the independence of the Republic of Turkey,founded by Atatürk in 1923, would be protected at all costs. He also voiced his opposition toPan-Islamism and advised the Turkish government to focus onTurkmeneli andEast Turkestan and stop their Islamic role in theSyrian civil war.[8][9]