Vie Mar 29, 2024
29 marzo, 2024

End Police Violence, Release all Prisoners, Drop all Charges

Full support to the resistance in Turkey

Reporting from outside Downing Street, London  at a demonstration of 2000 mainly Turkish and Kurdish people.

We call on the world’s working class and all its organisations to support the occupations and demonstrations taking place in Turkey, the largest in the world at the moment, which spread to 48 cities.  And to condemn the brutal, disproportionate response to what began as a peaceful protest  in Gezi Park. Over the last few days hundreds have been injured and hundreds have been imprisoned.

Protestors have fought back against the brute force of the police and in one clash forced the police to retreat, capturing their shields to use for their own protection.

The Turkish Doctors’ Union reported the death of  20-year-old Mehmet Ayvalitas, who was hit by a car on Sunday which was driven into the protesters in Istanbul’s Mayis district. Government forces have killed a  second protestor in the southern city of Antakya. Abdullah Comert, 22, a member of the youth wing of the opposition Republican People’s Party.

Doctors and nurses have been leaving their hospitals to provide medical help on the street to the hundreds who have been seriously injured.

Some of the information we have received has come directly from mobile phone messages, from Istanbul and other cities, to the demonstrations that have been taking place in Trafalgar Square and outisde Downing street, London since Friday.

One of Turkey’s big trade union groups has called a two-day strike from 4 June in support of the  anti-government protests  and the left-wing Kesk trade union confederation, which represents 240,000 workers, has accused the government of committing «state terror».

We were told that the protests began with the occupation of Gezi Park, which is one of the few green spaces left in Istanbul, against plans to concrete it over and build a shopping mall. The contract been awarded to the Kalyon Group which has close ties to the government (a son of one the ruling party’s MPs is involved in the company).

Martin Ralph, trade unionist and member of the International Socialist League, spoke to the Turkish and Kurdish protestors in London and brought solidarity greetings from the trade union movement with full support to the demonstrators in their resistance to the state forces. On Saturday June 1st he made a report about the escalating situation in Turkey to the national conference of Trade Union Councils at the TUC Congress House. The information to the conference was applauded.

Martin Ralph told the protestors in London that the union movement will support the protestors and stand with the people of Istanbul against repression. He expressed condemnation of the Turkish government and of any support from the British government to Prime Minister Erdogen. In fact the Turkish authorities are no doubt are trying to impress their masters in the USA and European Union by their actions, proving that Turkey is a safe place for capital to invest. He urged protestors in London to go to the trade unions and ask for support.

The Turkish government has been trying to suppress any information getting out about the size of the demonstrations and the level of police brutality, but that is impossible. Social media forums have been able to tell and show the world what is happening. The images of the bravery of the protestors be assured the world working class is and will be with them.

Full support to the demonstrations in Turkey and across the world organised by the Turkish and Kurdish communities.

We support the demands of the protestors

Stop the re-development of Gezi park.

For the freedom for trade unions and protestors

And demand from the Turkish government the end to state repression and the release of all prisoners

 

Más contenido relacionado:

Artículos más leídos: