The march, organized by the Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party İstanbul Provincial Organization under the slogan “Gavek ji bo aştîyê/Take a Step for Peace,” began at the Bull Statue in Kadıköy and continued to the ferry pier. Thousands of people, alongside political parties and civil society organizations, joined the demonstration.

 

Protesters carried banners reading “Take a Step for Peace” and “Toward Democratic Society and Democratic Nation,” while chanting slogans including “Bijî Serok Apo (Long live Leader Apo)” and “Bê Serok jiyan nabe (No life without the Leader).”

 

Speaking after the march, DEM Party İstanbul Co-Chair Arife Çınar criticized government policies and trustee appointments to municipalities, stating that Abdullah Öcalan’s ideas on democracy, women’s freedom and coexistence had gained influence not only in Turkey but also in the Middle East.

 

Labor Movement Party (EHP) Chair Hakan Öztürk called for concrete steps in the peace process, including the release of political prisoners such as Figen Yüksekdağ and Selahattin Demirtaş, an end to trustee appointments and freedom for ill prisoners.

 

Socialist Democracy Party (SDP) representative Musa Piroğlu said, “Without the freedom of the Kurdish people, there can be no democracy,” while Labour Party (EMEP) representative Alişan Doğan stressed that peace would only come through unity among democratic forces.

 

A joint statement in Kurdish and Turkish said Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s “Peace and Democratic Society Call” created major hope for resolving the Kurdish issue and democratizing Turkey. Speakers argued that despite ceasefire declarations and disarmament steps, the government had not taken concrete measures over the past 15 months. “It is no longer the time to delay, but the time to take action,” the statement said.

 

Following the demonstration, police intervened against the crowd at the Kadıköy ferry pier. At least three people were reportedly detained.