In an unacceptable challenge, the municipality of Smyrna (Σμύρνα, Turkish: İzmir) allowed an electronic music party to be held inside Saint Voukolos Orthodox Church.
The party, which occurred yesterday, caused strong reactions in the Smyrna community.
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As reported by SKAI, the specific church has historical value, while its property belongs to the municipality. There is also criticism from the Turkish pro-government media, as the municipality of Smyrna belongs to the opposition Republican People's Party.
It has often been granted to the Smyrna Metropolis for liturgies, while many serious exhibitions have been held inside the church, in contrast to last night, when the historic church was turned into a place of entertainment.
The municipality released a statement with regards to this issue, saying that the party in question had nothing to do with them and that they were “very sorry about the organization hurting the Greek Orthodox Community.”
“The İzmir Metropolitan Municipality sometimes allocates this place (the church) to paid and unpaid activities. One month ago (4 June evening), the organization held at the cultural center by a private firm under the name of ‘Youth Festival’ and with the application of no alcohol sales, was also authorized by the Konak governor’s office and police. It is not related to our municipality. An official report was penned on the grounds that it (the company) did not abide by the renting conditions and the company’s security deposit was not refunded,” the municipality said.
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