Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan, who was elected from Republican People's Party [CHP], sent his first official letter to Bolu Municipal Directorate of Cultural and Social Affairs, halting all in-kind and in-cast assistance to foreign nationalities living in the city.

 "The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Turkish Red Crescent and the Ministry of family, Labor and Social Services are providing assistance to foreign nationals living in our country under the name of 'social cohesion assistance'.

For this reason, I would like to ask from the Directorate of Culture and Social Affairs of our municipality not to provide any in-kind and in-cast assistance to any foreign person living in our city." Özcan said in his official letter.

Fuelling anger among the public, many NGOs, politicians, academicians, jurists, and authors reacted strongly to Özcan's instructor.

"The mayor of Bolu, Tanju Özcan, who took office on March 31 local elections, and who took the certificate of election by kissing the Holy Qur'an, stated that the Syrian refugees living in the province will not be given food, hot soup, and that there will be no possibility of obtaining a license to open a workplace," said Mazlumder.

"Every human being living on Earth is a refugee candidate. It is shameful for humanity to deal with the bread and the wages of the refugees who are our guests because of the difficult conditions of the war in their country."

Stating that although Tanju Özcan, Mayor of Bolu, has kissed the Holy Qur'an as he sits in office, he is against the truth and demands in the Qur'an, Mazlumder underlined that they will follow the issue.

"We are waiting for the Syrians in Bolu to Ağrı. We share our bread. It is not enough to kiss the Qur'an, but to obey rules written in it," said AK Party Ağrı province mayor Savcı Sayan in a twit.

"What did CHP said before the election? 'The spring will come, and love will win.' What did I say? CHP will come (to power) persecution will begin. Fall at the first hurdle. Brutal CHP cuts aid to Syrians in Bolu," said former Ankara mayor Melih Gökçek.

ILKHA