Defne, Hatay residents protest tree removal for condolence house

Municipal crews of Defne Municipality removed eight pine trees from a park on 474th Street in the Defne district of Hatay Province, saying the site would be used for a condolence house. The work was carried out with excavators on the morning of 5 August 2026 and the felled trees were loaded onto trucks and taken away.

Earthquake‑survivor residents intervened, stopping the machines and recording the incident. They complained that green and social spaces are already scarce after the quake, calling the action a "massacre" and demanding the condolence house be built elsewhere. Necla Özdemir said, "We have survived the earthquake, we want to live again; please don’t touch the trees." Muhtar Ali Kaya stated the trees would be relocated and affirmed that the community wants the condolence house moved to a different location.