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| Mehdi Neimi |
The annual Babak Castle march, traditionally held on the second weekend of summer in Iranian Azerbaijan, has not had the same grandeur since 2005. Turkish activist Mehdi Neimi, in an interview with Voice of America, evaluates the efforts to reinstate this march on a large scale. He emphasizes that this march holds symbolic significance for the National Movement.
Referring to various street protests organized in Iranian Azerbaijan since May 2006, as well as the demands voiced by Turks in stadiums, Neimi highlights that each of these protest platforms has its own unique function:
“Different protest methods are not in contradiction with one another. Each has its own place, function, and character.”
According to him, “The Babak Castle march differs from other forms of protest in its symbolic nature. People gather there from different regions. The voice of protest at that location becomes the voice of all of South Azerbaijan.”
Many protests organized by Turks in Iranian Azerbaijan and regions like Tehran often arise in response to anti-Turkish statements by the media or government officials.
Some activists argue that protests and campaigns reacting to media and government rhetoric are excessive.
Neimi, however, stresses the importance of focusing more on original activism.
“If there is oppression, a society must protest to assert its existence... Some criticisms are valid. National activists must constantly analyze the situation of this community and geography. Their actions should be based on those analyses. Otherwise, merely waiting for things to happen and then reacting to them does not demonstrate the community's activism,” Mehdi Neimi adds.
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| Photos of the annual gathering at Babak Castle organized by Turkish activists of the Azerbaijan National Movement. |
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Mehdi Nəimi: Babək Qalası yürüşünün simvolik önəmi var