Tue Mar 19, 2024
March 19, 2024

IWL-FI Statement on coup attempt in Turkey

We repudiate the attempt of a reactionary military coup! Let us struggle against the repression to the workers by the government!

During the night of July 15th -16th, Ankara and Istanbul streets were scenario of a coup attempt by a sector of the Turkish Armed Forces, aiming to depose president Erdogan and impose the “martial law” in the whole country; that is to say, to impose a military regime even more repressive than the parliamentary regime, -which, nevertheless, is more and more Bonapartist each time- imposed by the AKP (Justice and Development Party) during the last decade. We are against the right-wing government of Erdogan, but a reactionary military coup to impose a dictatorship is not an alternative.

The rebel troops, apparently led by the ex-leader of the Air Forces, Akin Öztürk, closed the bridge over the Bosphorous, in Istanbul, and took control of several strategic spots in Ankara. Among the leaders of the coup, there were the generals who drove the bloody repression against the Kurdish. They occupied a TV station, and from there they launched a communiqué announcing they had taken power through a “Peace Council” [a Military Board], denounced Erdogan as a “traitor”, and presented their measures, among them the implementation of the “martial law” and the curfew, in name of “peace and democracy”. Erdogan made a call to the population to go out on the streets to defeat the coup and defend democracy.

The defeat of the coup

As hours passed by, the coup sector began loosing strength. Erdogan showed he still controls most part of the Armed Forces leaders, and mainly the police, which also went out on the streets to confront the rebel militaries. Another important element the sector in favor of the coup did not balance properly is the popular support Erdogan still has, especially among sectors that sympathize with Islamism. To all of these, we must add that all the parliamentary parties, including the HDP, were opposed to the coup. Like this, the attempt of coup did not succeed inside the Armed Forces neither on the streets, where part of the population responded to Erdogan’s call to confront it.

The Turkish people, very much aware of what a military dictatorship is, went out on the streets to confront the reactionary coup. It was the right and main thing to do at that moment. The first task was to crush the coup that aimed to kill the few remaining democratic freedoms under the hateful government of Recep Erdogan. Dozens of thousands went out to the streets and imposed a human barrier in front of the tanks.

People went on to the streets to confront the coup.
People went on to the streets to confront the coup.

The militaries of the coup shot against the population. There were armed street fights for hours. Dozens died, but the coup could not pass through. So far, the estimate is over 300 dead people, among them more than 50 civilians.

Soldiers in favor of the coup surrender to the population.
Soldiers in favor of the coup surrender to the population.

 Let us confront the repressive escalade of Erdogan against the workers!

Erdogan went back to the capital and announced the situation was stabilized. He then started a purge of major proportions among the summit. “The ones involved will pay a high price”, he stated as a threat. The Turkish government is using the defeat of the coup as a justification to chase all its opponents, and he will cut people’s democratic freedoms even more. More than 7500 were arrested, among them one third of the generals and admirals of the Armed Forces, hundreds of soldiers, policemen and judges. More than 20 thousand public workers were suspended and face investigations now.

Without a doubt, Erdogan tries to present himself as a “hero” to the country, to strengthen politically. He will deepen his offensive against the Kurdish and the PKK in the Southeast region, were thousands were killed by the Turkish government’s artillery and aviation since the “peace negotiations” broke. The government is attacking the economic and democratic rights of the working class and plays the dire role of repressing thousands of immigrants –especially Syrian- who try to get to Europe from Turkish territory. Nothing positive can be expected from Erdogan but a deepening of the economic attacks to the people, censorship and fear.

After the coup, Erdogan qualified his government as “a new life”, and he is using it to its own goals, his own way. The followers groups of the AKP took advantage of the current situation to launch a reactionary offensive, entering the neighborhoods to attack leftist militants, accusing anyone opposed to the government of “supporting the coup”. To organize the resistance to those attacks is the main task right now.

From the IWL-FI, we salute the heroic Turkish people for its role defeating the reactionary coup. The same determination and bravery must now be used for the struggle against Erdogan and his clique. The same determination must be used now to support the social and workers’ struggles, as much as the Kurdish people’s struggle for its national self-determination, and the struggle of thousands of immigrants which arrive to the country running from the barbarism generated by bloody dictatorships, like Al-Assad’s, ISIS’ and the imperialist attacks in Middle East.

NO to the reactionary coup in Turkey!

Long live to the Turkish people struggle!

For national self-determination of the Kurdish people!

For the immigrants right to work and have dignified life!

In defense of the democratic freedoms, against Erdogan’s government repression to the workers and the left!

For a workers’ government!

International Secretariat,

July 19th, 2016

Check out our other content

Check out other tags:

Most Popular Articles