http://www.marxist.com/brutal-suppression-leaves-3-dead-urgent-solidarity-needed.htm
Turkey: Brutal suppression leaves 3 dead, thousands injured - Urgent solidarity needed!<http://www.marxist.com/brutal-suppression-leaves-3-dead-urgent-solidarity-needed.htm> Written by In Defence of MarxismTuesday, 04 June 2013 [image: Print]<http://www.marxist.com/brutal-suppression-leaves-3-dead-urgent-solidarity-needed/print.htm>[image: E-mail]<http://www.marxist.com/component/option,com_mailto/link,db26479f5e485d32dfbc536c33687a2eb9717716/tmpl,component/> - - - As the heroic movement of the masses of Turkey continues, the brutal oppression by the police and security forces has increased. There is an urgent need to lend a hand of solidarity to our brothers and sisters there. The response by Turkish Prime Minister, Erdogan, has been remarkably similar to that of dictators that the Arab revolution brought down in 2011. A combination of pretending the movement is nothing with intensifying the oppression against it. On June 3rd, Erdogan, while visiting Morocco, claimed “extremists are running wild” and that the protesters are “arm-in-arm with terrorism” so as to justify their oppression. This brutal reaction has already led to three deaths, the first martyrs of the movement. Tragically, they’ve all been young people. First it was a 20-year old, Mehmet Ayvalitas. The Turkish Doctors’ Association confirmed that he has died after a vehicle slammed into a crowd (a well-known tactic of security forces) and many were taken to hospital. The head of TDA confirmed to The Associated Press that a four-wheel drive was rammed into a group marching along an Istanbul highway late on Sunday. The second martyr of the movement came in the city of Hatay, a Mediterranean port in the southern part of the country. His name was Abdullah Comert and he was also only 22 years old, the NTV television reported Tuesday, June 4. “Comert was seriously wounded… after gunfire from an unidentified person,” the station reported, quoting the local governor’s office. There is also an unconfirmed report of another young person being shot in the head with a real bullet in Dersim in the Tunceli province, a majority Kurdish Alevi province in the Eastern Anatolia. The varied locations of these tragic deaths show the wide nature of the movement that has covered the entire country. The government itself has reported demonstrations in 94 cities. These include small towns and big cities all over the place, from west to east. Protesters are battling tear gas canisters, water cannon, vehicles rammed into the crowd and even direct fire. Many are also arrested, with Istanbul detainees being transferred to the notorious main security directorate in Istanbul. Attempts by the Istanbul Medical Chamber to set up temporary medical facilities to treat injured demonstrators were prevented by police. Many have been prevented from even accessing the main public hospital in Taksim area, near the focal point of the protests. Care-givers report that some have already lost their eye-sight as a result of attacks. What is worse, there is an attempt to impose a blackout on the protesters. The world media has paid not nearly as much attention to the events as they deserve. Additionally there are attempts to cut specific locales out. For instance, our correspondent reported that electricity has been cut in Alsancak, a central quarter of Izmir as police launched a brutal attack on the protesters. None of these oppressive acts has dented the will of the masses and the movement continues. Tuesday and Wednesday (4th and 5th of June) are to see a two-day general strike (first day, being a ‘warning’ strike and next day, the main effort) with demanding the resignation of Erdogan. Already, there are rifts in the top as President Abdullah Gul, from the same party as Erdogan, has taken a softer approach, criticizing the police attacks. Now it’s the time for the workers and youth of the world to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Turkey. IMMEDIATE ACTION IS NEEDED. We*can* force them back. *What You Can Do* *1) Call or Email Turkish ambassadors* You can find a list of Turkish diplomatic posts around the world here: http://www.mfa.gov.tr/turkish-representations.en.mfa** Call or e-mail them and let them know that you stand out with the protesters and against the police violence in Turkey. Please cc receptayyip.erdo...@basbakanlik.gov.tr and cont...@marxist.com. You can also contact your own country’s Foreign Affairs Ministry or Member of Parliament or Congress and ask them to stand for the same. A model letter can be like the following, prepared by LabourStart: Prime Minister Erdogan I support the demands of trade unionists and others in Turkey that police violence against protestors must stop, that those responsible must be held accountable, that those who have been arrested must be freed and charges dropped, and that the ban on demonstrations must be lifted. (LabourStart campaign: http://www.labourstartcampaigns.net/show_campaign.cgi?c=1840). *2) Pass resolutions* Get your trade union local or branch of similar progressive organizations to pass resolutions in solidarity with the movement in Turkey and ask the Turkish government to stop the police violence. *3) Hold rallies, events* Hold rallies in front of Turkish embassies and consulates for the same goals. Hold events to raise solidarity with the movement in Turkey. The workers and youth of Turkey should know that they are not alone. Their movement has inspired hundreds of thousands around the world. They deserve our support. ----------------------------------------- Canada: 400 rally in support of the movement in Turkey<http://www.marxist.com/toronto-400-rally-in-support-of-movemen-in-turkey.htm> Written by Sirwan Ghazi and Arash AziziTuesday, 04 June 2013 [image: Print]<http://www.marxist.com/toronto-400-rally-in-support-of-movemen-in-turkey/print.htm>[image: E-mail]<http://www.marxist.com/component/option,com_mailto/link,13eff5109dd8dd5b614abd9134018595881f178d/tmpl,component/> - - - On Sunday, 2nd June, 400 people showed up at Toronto’s Queen's Park in solidarity with the recent protests in Turkey. Banners were raised high to show resentment towards the current AKP government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and to express solidarity with the movement in Turkey. [image: 20130602 143716]<http://www.marxist.com/images/stories/turkey/toronto-demo-03-06-2013/20130602_143716.jpg>The movement in Turkey spread so quickly that many were left surprised. Its spectacular growth has inspired thousands around the world. It started over the government’s plan to build a shopping mall in Gezi Park, a popular public space in downtown Istanbul, but #OccupyGezi has quickly spread to a general anti-government movement. It has a clear left-wing character, hence it being named after the Occupy movement in New York. This was also reflected in many of the militant anti-capitalist slogans included as part of the official program by the Toronto organizers. Among the slogans, depicted on banners and shouted by the crowed, were: “The problem is capitalism”, “Down with capitalism”, “Fight Fascism, shoulder to shoulder” and many slogans directed at Erdogan — most recurrently *“Tayyip, Istifa!”*(Tayyip, Resign!). [image: 20130602 144806]<http://www.marxist.com/images/stories/turkey/toronto-demo-03-06-2013/20130602_144806.jpg>Comrades of the Marxist journal*Fightback* were present in the rally, despite only receiving news of the demonstration earlier that morning. We were warmly received by the organizers who thanked us for our presence. There was a wide interest in [image: 20130602 143912]<http://www.marxist.com/images/stories/turkey/toronto-demo-03-06-2013/20130602_143912.jpg>Marxism and socialist politics, reflected in the fact that we sold out our journal and also sold many leaflets. Among the many that we spoke to were many socialists and communist sympathizers. Since many of the Fightback supporters present were from Iran, Greece, and other countries in the region, the discussions had an internationalist character. Highlighted was the need to struggle for socialism in Turkey, the whole of the Middle East, the Mediterranean region — and, of course, Canada. We learnt a lot from some of these discussions. [image: 20130602 140130]<http://www.marxist.com/images/stories/turkey/toronto-demo-03-06-2013/20130602_140130.jpg>At the end of the rally, there was a brief incident. The singing of nationalist songs and the shouting of Kemalist slogans by some led to the organizers of the event to organize a socialist contingent in the crowd and to differentiate themselves from the nationalist tendency shown by some. [image: 20130602 143938]<http://www.marxist.com/images/stories/turkey/toronto-demo-03-06-2013/20130602_143938.jpg>They relied instead on socialist slogans and singing of traditional leftist songs like the Turkish version of Bella Ciao, an Italian communist anthem. This also led to an opportunity for a more concerted discussion among the leftists present on the future of the movement. [image: 20130602 144137]<http://www.marxist.com/images/stories/turkey/toronto-demo-03-06-2013/20130602_144137.jpg>Expressing solidarity with the heroic movement in Turkey is a duty of socialists in Canada. We will eagerly participate in the coming solidarity actions and hope to organize an event with Turkish comrades in the coming days. We will let the heroic workers and youth of Turkey know that they are not alone and that they have the support of their brothers and sisters all over the world, including Canada. Source: Toronto: 400 rally in support of the movement in Turkey<http://www.marxist.ca/about-us/reports-from-meeting/883-toronto-400-rally-in-support-of-the-movement-in-turkey.html> --------------------- http://www.marxist.com/turkey-we-need-your-support.htm Turkey: We need your support!<http://www.marxist.com/turkey-we-need-your-support.htm> Written by Turkish activistsTuesday, 04 June 2013 [image: Print]<http://www.marxist.com/turkey-we-need-your-support/print.htm>[image: E-mail]<http://www.marxist.com/component/option,com_mailto/link,53b1686ed2dfebe8bd29e69df693cdf8da77b875/tmpl,component/> - - - We have received the following appeal from Turkish activists who are involved in the mass movement in Turkey. On May 28, 2013 a group of activists gathered at the Gezi Park (a central park) in Taksim, Istanbul, Turkey, to peacefully demonstrate the municipal plan to demolish the park and build the 94th shopping mall in the city. Turkish police attacked the protestors violently with tear gas and water cannon, directly targeting their faces and bodies. Dozens of protestors are hospitalized and access to the park was blocked without any legal basis. The disproportionate police response to the peaceful demonstrators triggered nationwide protests. The first reaction of Prime Minister Erdogan was typically arrogant, taunting the protesters. “If you get 20 people we can get 100,000, if you get 100,000 we will get 1 million” he confronted his own citizens, adding that his mind was made up and there would be no change in the project. Now, the protest is no longer just about a park in Istanbul, it’s about *democracy and human rights* which have been violated by the government over the course of 11 years. Protests have spread to 67 cities in Turkey and there are thousands of people who have been demonstrating abroad (e.g., London, NYC, Los Angeles, Ottawa, Toronto, Berlin, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague, Paris). Why is this protest significant? Following the excessive reaction of the police, since May 31st, hundreds of thousands of people across the country has gathered in support of the protesters. *This is the first nationwide demonstration in Turkey’s history*against the government’s policies that restrict basic civil rights*.* For the first time in the history of the Republic of Turkey, people from different political and ethnic backgrounds and social classes are coming together for an urgent change. Despite the continued peaceful nature of the demonstrations, the Turkish police have continued to intensify excessive violence by using water cannons, rubber bullets and teargas, even by throwing gas canisters into houses, shopping malls, and mosques. Maltreatment has caused over a thousand serious injuries, some leading to alleged deaths. According to the formal sources, 730 people are under custody. There are worrisome reports of alleged tortures. Excessive force against peaceful protestors breaches international human rights standards and must be stopped URGENTLY. Unfortunately, the people of Turkey are suppressed by police brutality and media censorship. What is extremely tragic is that the mainstream newspapers and TV channels in Turkey are not covering these protests and police violence stories, so international and social media are the only sources that provide real coverage about the protests. That also means that the majority of people who have no access to internet are blinded. These demonstrations are about: - The abuse of state power - Restrictions on freedom of expression and speech - Human rights - Harsh attacks of neoliberal policies - Abolition of public urban spaces - Media censor What can you do to help the protestors in Turkey? WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT to demonstrate your solidarity with people in Turkey. Please help us disseminate the information, help us raise an international awareness. 1. Voice your concern directly through signing the following petition: http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Stop_the_VIOLENCE_in_Turkey_1/?forThcb 2. Lobby your own government to condemn the Turkish government and its Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. You can call or e-mail your representative in Congress or Parliament and let them know that you expect your government to speak out for freedom of expression and against the police violence in Turkey. 3. Voice your concern directly to the Turkish government by writing to the Turkish embassy in your home country. Addresses and details for these embassies can be found here: http://www.mfa.gov.tr/turkish-representations.en.mfa 4. Use social media including *Twitter and Facebook* to circulate the below suggested messages, tagging @aforgutu for AI Turkey: @Valimutlu <https://twitter.com/Valimutlu> Police use of force against #direngeziparkı<https://twitter.com/search?q=%23direngezipark%C4%B1&src=hash> protestors is excessive, unacceptable & breaks international HR standards @*aforgutu*<https://twitter.com/aforgutu> @Valimutlu <https://twitter.com/Valimutlu> @RT_Erdogan<https://twitter.com/RT_Erdogan> Istanbul authorities must immediately stop police violence against peaceful #direngeziparkı<https://twitter.com/search?q=%23direngezipark%C4%B1&src=hash> protestors @*aforgutu* <https://twitter.com/aforgutu> Amnesty International’s issuing international call to its activists to take action over police violence in #Taksim<https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Taksim> #direngeziparkı <https://twitter.com/search?q=%23direngezipark%C4%B1> @aforgutu <https://twitter.com/aforgutu> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:laamn-unsubscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:laamn-subscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:laamn-dig...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:laamn-ow...@egroups.com?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:la...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/laamn@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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