‘261 daggers in Istanbul’s heart’: Erdogan, opposition’s Ozel clash over villa controversy

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel has responded sharply to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s comments regarding illegal villa construction in Istanbul’s Vanikoy.

Erdogan had earlier accused opposition figures of “handing over Istanbul’s most precious environmental treasures to the moneyed elite,” to which Ozel retorted, “He has stabbed 261 daggers into the heart of Istanbul.”

Background: A heated exchange unfolded between CHP leader Ozel and President Erdogan over illegal villa construction in Vanikoy, Istanbul. The controversy centers around a villa being built in a forested area with a view of the Bosphorus, located in Istanbul’s Uskudar district.

• The villa, located within the jurisdiction of the CHP-run Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), was sealed by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change.
• The IBB has denied responsibility, stating that a criminal complaint has been filed with the prosecutor’s office.

Erdogan’s critique: President Erdogan criticized the opposition, accusing them of undermining Istanbul’s environmental treasures by favoring the wealthy elite. He claimed, “They pretended to be moral champions, but within three months, they turned the municipalities they took over into family-run enterprises.”

For years, they tried to lecture us on the environment, but now they are handing over Istanbul’s most precious environmental treasures to the moneyed elite. They pretended to be moral champions on the grounds of merit, but within three months, they turned the municipalities they took over into family-run enterprises.

President Erdogan

In response, Ozel condemned Erdogan’s remarks, stating, “He has stabbed 261 daggers into the heart of Istanbul,” referencing the increase in skyscrapers from four to 265 during Erdogan’s tenure as mayor.

Ozel defended the CHP, asserting that the villa was sealed promptly and dismissed Erdogan’s criticisms as misplaced.

Commenting on the illegal villa, Ozel added, “It was sealed as soon as it was discovered. If the president is using this to criticize all of Istanbul, there’s nothing more to say. I’ll use his favorite gesture. (Raising his hand and showing four fingers) When he was the mayor of Istanbul, there were 4 skyscrapers.”

“Today, there are 265. The one who has stabbed 261 daggers into the heart of Istanbul, obtained a renovation permit, rushed into wrongful actions, and had a mansion sealed when discovered, cannot hold us accountable for a single house,” he stated.