Arslanköy Hadisesi

Abstract

The people of Arslanköy resisted not giving the headman's ballot box, which was held on February 23, to the gendarmerie captain. They were manhandled, insulted and victimized. They were imprisoned. But they bravely claimed their democratic rights and set an example for the next generations. There is something that draws our attention in the events that took place during the headman election in Arslanköy in 1947 and which cost the whole of Turkey, and this is the sudden violence in the reaction of women. We must state this clearly: This furious reaction of the women of Arslanköy cannot be explained by any political considerations. The scream of the women of Arslanköy is a completely different cry that goes beyond the sensitivity of democracy. Look at the following words of Elife Bozdoğan, one of the residents of Arslanköy, to DP organization president Tahir Bozkurt; “If you hold elections again and hand over the ballot box, the whole village will be responsible.” These statements cannot/should not be understood in terms of winning or losing in an election. It is understood that there have been some dramatic events that have taken place in Arslanköy for eight years. In this headman election held in Arslanköy in 1947, there must be a reason beyond the headman election behind the fact that women stood by the ballot box so harshly, determinedly, willingly and eagerly, while men also showed up with the same sensitivity.