İlkay Akkaya’s concert in Kastamonu has been canceled
The concert that artist İlkay Akkaya was set to perform in Kastamonu was canceled following targeting calls made about her on social media. Speaking to T24, Akkaya described the decision as “a trampling of freedom of expression” and said, “I will not leave this space to vandals. I will not bow to bullying.”
Akkaya’s lawyer, Bişar Abdi Alınak, announced that legal and criminal proceedings have been initiated against those responsible.
Most recently, the concert planned for April 3 in Kastamonu—following Akkaya’s participation in the CHP rally held in Saraçhane on the anniversary of the March 19 process—was canceled. Prior to the concert, some past photographs of the artist were circulated with the claim “she posed in front of Öcalan,” leading to targeting and calls for the cancellation of the event.
Following these calls, the organizing company ORFE canceled Akkaya’s Kastamonu concert. After the cancellation, Akkaya told T24 that institutions, instead of protecting rights, sided with those engaging in intimidation.
Stating that the cancellation amounts to a violation of freedom of expression, Akkaya said:
“I find myself once again in a situation I have encountered hundreds of times over the years. In the face of lies, slander, and threats from a group of people, the institutions that should protect my rights seem once again to side with aggressors. In a city, people of different views should be able to live together with their differences. Freedom of expression, which is a fundamental right, cannot be trampled upon in this way. It must not be. I will defend my legal rights to the end. I will not bow to bullying.”
“I WILL NOT LEAVE THIS SPACE TO VANDALS”
Emphasizing that she has defended peace and justice throughout her life, Akkaya continued:
“I will not leave this space to vandals who are unaware of the culture of coexistence. The stage is my stage; my thoughts are what I openly express, and my songs are about life—songs we sing together with my audience, wishing goodness for all oppressed people and all beings in the world. I am a citizen of this country, and I remind the institutions that are supposed to protect my freedoms and fundamental rights that they must immediately abandon the disgrace of siding with bullies who know nothing about citizenship, rights, or freedoms.”
LAWYER ALINAK: “THEY WANT TO SILENCE ART”
Evaluating the legal dimension of the cancellation process, Akkaya’s lawyer Bişar Abdi Alınak stated that the decision was made as a result of disinformation spread by groups aiming to suppress freedom of expression and announced that legal proceedings have been initiated. The full statement shared with the public reads as follows:
“We regret to learn that the concert of our client İlkay Akkaya, scheduled to take place on April 3 in Kastamonu, has been canceled due to a perception created through disinformation by groups and social media trolls who seek to align society with their own ideological patterns and suppress thoughts and expressions that do not conform to this line.
This group, which does not accept different thoughts and ways of life, draws its strength and motivation from a massacre-driven mentality seen in Sivas, Çorum, Maraş, Roboski, Zilan, and Dersim. Those who once committed massacres against those who were not like them now seek to silence the voice of art.”
