06 Jun 2025
Two former St Albans politicians led a local delegation to Fethiye in Turkey as part of a bid to show support to strong and democratic local government.
It followed the recent arrest of the Mayor of Istanbul, and coincided with the further arrests of five more democratically elected mayors as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continued his attack on local officials.
Past St Albans Mayor Salih Gaygusuz and one-time SADC leader Julian Daly led the delegation, which also included Nigel Gardner, the Conservative candidate in Harpenden in last year’s General Election, and Alex Clark, a local Conservative candidate and activist.
Nigel said: “We went to show our support for local democratic politicians in Turkey at this extremely difficult moment for them. However much we argue and disagree locally about parking or whatever in St Albans and Harpenden, we are free to voice our views without fear.
“It was humbling to hear from Fethiye’s Mayor Alim Karaca about the daily anxiety he and his family face about arrest without a fair trial.”
The St Albans delegation also joined events around Greek-Turkish reconciliation – given the long history of conflict in the region. This included visiting a historic Greek village where villagers had been forced to leave and be made subject to compulsory resettlement, and participated in the Greek Turkish culture and gastronomy festival – launched to showcase the common links between the two peoples.
Alex Clarke added: “Today an estimated hundred people from Hertfordshire are living in Fethiye, and I also went to celebrate the links between our two communities.”
