(Forwarded)
The following is a diary of events of Socialist Labour Party and SLP Youth
solidarity with Turkish hunger strikers against isolation cells. Apart from
the Sussex University meeting all the events took place in London. SLP
conduct internationalism because we understand the necessity to support
other oppressed and exploited people around the world who are struggling
against monopoly capitalism (imperialism) which is also the enemy of the
British working class; we closely follow and support other revolutionary
movements so that we can learn the lessons from them and so that they may
learn and contribute to our duty to organise people in Britain to defeat
'our own' British ruling class. (written by Sukant Chandan, SLP Youth,
22/12/00)
1. Sun 3rd Dec; Prisoners rally
2. Tues 5th Dec; IKM (Committee to struggle against torture through
isolation cells) and DHKC (Revolutionary Peoples Liberation Front)
presentation at London SLP study class.
3. Sat 9 Dec; Turkish prisoners march from Hyde Park meets Colombian
solidarity picket at Whitehall
4. Thurs 14 Dec; IKM and DHKC meeting at Sussex Uni at invitation of Sussex
Uni Palestine Society.
5. Tues 19 Dec; Prisoners picket outside Turkish Embassy
1. Sun 3rd Dec; Prisoners rally
Several SLP Youth cadres and friends attended and had a stall at a social
rally in support of the Turkish hunger strikers were thousands of Turkish
people of all ages were in attendance. The highlight of the night was a
performance of the revolutionary Turkish group 'Grup Yorum'. SLP Youth
submitted a statement expressing their solidarity with the action and
demands of the hunger strikers.
SLP was the only party from the British left present at the rally.
2. Tues 5th Dec; IKM (Committee to struggle against torture through
isolation cells) and DHKC (Revolutionary Peoples Liberation Front)
presentation at London SLP study class.
A comrade from IKM and DHKC made a presentation at the London SLP
fortnightly study class. Awareness on the struggle in Turkey was raised
among SLP cadres and money was raised for the Vitamin B12 (?) which will
help the hunger strikers to minimalise the risk of damage to the nervous
system after the hunger strikes.
3. Sat 9 Dec; Turkish prisoners march from Hyde Park meets Colombian
solidarity picket at Whitehall
SLP Youth and more than 15 friends, who they mobilised, were present at both
the 200 strong Turkish prisoners march and the Colombia solidarity picket of
over 100.
Many of SLP Youth friends who were mobilised were from Sussex Uni Cuba
Solidarity society, which the SLP Youth fully support and work in. This
society has organised two meeting were Lasocol and Lexander Lopez, a leading
trade unionist from Colombia spoke to meetings of over 50 students. This
society brought its banner which was flown with the caption 'Stop Plan
Colombia [US package of more than $6 billion dollars to fight against the
Colombian people and their liberation movement], Support the resistance
movement'. The Colombian picket organised by the Latin American Solidarity
Collective Against US Intervention in Colombia (Lasocol) showed their
internationalism by supporting the Turkish hunger strikers by having a joint
picket and shouting slogans in unison against imperialism and fascism. SLP
Youth cadres Dan Gazebrook and Sukant Chandan delivered a short statement at
the picket which expressed that all people, regardless of nationality, must
fight united against imperialism of either imperialists be they US, British,
French German imperialism despite what political they may shroud themselves
in ('Labour' Imperialism for example in Britain). The statement by SLP Youth
was very much welcomed.
SLP was the only U.K party represented at these events except for the
presence
of the Socialist Workers Party who, despite us welcoming any supporters,
tend to spend much more time denouncing revolutionary movements as they are
not their idea of perfect, .i.e., we don't chummy up to British Imperialist
Labour Government who, in keeping faithfully to British Imperialism as they
have always been IN THEIR ACTIONS, pass racist immigration policies, throw
millions into unemployment, and conduct imperialist terror abroad on Iraq
and Yugoslavia. Imperialism is very happy with 'revolutionaries' like these.
4. Thurs 14 Dec; IKM and DHKC meeting at Sussex Uni at invitation of Sussex
University Palestine Society.
Sussex Uni-Brighton SLP and SLP Youth cell have supported Sussex Uni
Palestine Society and helped to organise one of the best, in terms of
attendance and political messages, meetings in Brighton this academic year
with well over 70, mainly young people attending. This meeting expressed its
unequivocal support for the resurgence of the 'Intifada'(uprising) and the
Palestinian liberation struggle by every means it seems fit be it cultural,
political, diplomatic and military.
IKM and DHKC came and made a presentation at the invitation of the Society
on the struggle of the hunger strikers with the 30 people attending (small
numbers due to the fact that it was the last Thursday before the Christmas
holidays). A video on the 1999 Ankara prison massacres was also screened,
discussion took place, books and pamphlets were sold and money was raised
for the vitamin campaign.
SLP Youth has done many events with DHKC on Sussex campus and will continue
to do so despite some attempts by reactionary Turkish students who told the
Students Union to expel us from the campus because there were' terrorists'
on campus. The Union was told by the SLP Youth comrades that the Turkish
state was the real terrorist and showed them the photo exhibition we had
about the disappearances, torture and repression that the Turkish state
inflicts on the people. We continued and will continue our internationalist
work.
None of the other 'left-wing' students groups (SWP, Socialist Appeal, or
Socialist Party students groups) support either the Cuba or Palestine
society. No-one takes any notice of them at Sussex University.
5. Tues 19 Dec; Prisoners picket outside Turkish Embassy
I went on behalf of the SLP and SLP Youth to the picket at the Turkish
Embassy. This was to be the same day that the Turkish state would start
conducting its massacres of 40 (at the last count - 22/12/00) hunger
strikers in Turkish prisons as well as hospitalising hundreds of supporters
outside.
Due to this attack the picket started hours earlier and I missed an
incident. What happened was that the police attacked a Turkish friend and
the other friends went to his defence, this resulted in a pig getting
knocked out for 20 minutes and then was sent to hospital. The police,
obviously feeling upset by the injury of 'one of theirs', decided to
heighten the provocation against the picket. The picket was cordoned by two
rows of fencing, surrounded by policeman and riot vans. No protestor was
allowed to leave the picket or enter (another picket of over fifty Turkish
friends was formed next to the original one). The police told us that this
will cease if we give up the people responsible for the condition of that
pig. Then they said they would let us leave if we left one by one and they
would interview us, take our details and photograph us. We ignored these
ridiculous offers and continued our protest. The police tried two more
provocations against the picket which failed and resulted in no noticeable
injuries or arrests. Obviously not willing to bother taking on 300 militant
Turkish people the police quit their cordon and their protestors, having
finished their protest an hour later than planned, continued onto their next
protest.
SLP was the only British left wing organisation present at the picket.
Massacred! ( by Sukant Chandan, written 19/12/00)
14? No!, 15? No, 25 massacred,
25 bright revolutionary gems had their glow lowered,
Now only remaining in our fiery red tradition their life devoured
into martyrs
made our moods soured.
I, British, arrived at protest where comrades were Turkish,
We, internationalist, against embassy of fascist and imperialist
Saw blood spilt on street,
Comrades, was our comrade attacked?
No, pig policeman made mistake, took our weight
so got knocked out and knocked back.
Massacred! 25 because fought against prison in prison,
Turkish state! The real terrorist!
Turkish state! The real murderer!
Were the slogans as I greeted my brothers and sisters,
Don't you remember me at Trafalgar? another,
yes I remember, we met in Cuba.
Pigs, because of their friend getting bent, wanna provoke us,
so made a pen with vans, back-up and fence
that should've been for them and not us.
But 300 militants ready for battle
to the last
for them wasn't worth the hassle, so in time they let up,
Later I met up with comrades in order that theory may develop
'The capitalist state must be smashed!'
Said Lenin,
So lets fuse theory and tact
And we shall win.
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