Grup Yorum celebrates its 30th year

Following concerts in Adana and ?zmir, famous protest band Grup Yorum's third 30th anniversary concert took place in Istanbul on June 28, after the first two attempts to organize the concert earlier in the year were banned by the Istanbul Governor's Office. The ban was ultimately reversed by a court decision and the concert was held in the Bak?rköy Public Bazaar. 

Famous U.S. folk artist Joan Baez also attended the concert to protest bans on concerts. 

Before the concert began, thousands of people began gathering in the concert area after they were searched by security. The concert started at around 6:30 p.m. when the Grup Yorum members greeted the audience with a 150-person team on the stage. 

Former members of the band, including Efkan ?e?en, Özcan ?enver, Serdar Güven, Özgür Tekin, Suat Kaya and Fikriye K?l?nç, also accompanied the songs. 

"We have been paying the price for being revolutionist artists for nearly 30 years. Sometimes our concerts are banned; sometimes are albums are withdrawn. We are taken into custody and tortured. We will pay these prices more. Our songs will continue to shake their pressures. They have done everything to prevent us from meeting with you. But we are together again. They won't be able to prevent our meeting with the people of Ankara," said the band members on the stage, referring to a concert planned for next week in the Turkish capital that is still currently banned. 

During the speech, the audiences shouted slogans against fascism. Also, the names of those who had died during the Gezi Park protests in 2013 were read and commemorated. 

Folk artist Baez took the stage, performing a short song, Grup Yorum members gave her a guitar which has been damaged during a police raid...