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View Full Version : V. Important Information on Workers Plight in Turkey - Pleas



Kez
4th May 2002, 12:40
Please Take 10 mins to read this thread it is of upmost importance to our knowledge of the worker's situation in turkey.

(Taken from website of Halkin Sesi (Voice of the People) TV, May 1, 2002)
Thousands enthusiastically celebrate May Day in the city squares

Today May Day was celebrated in our country and in the world. Bans were on
the agenda this year, just like every year in our country. In places where
such celebrations were not banned, thousands of people took an enthusiastic
part in marking May Day. In Istanbul the first action was in Taksim. At the
Kazanci Slope, there was a moment of silence in honour of those who lost
their lives on May Day 1977, and red carnations were left at the spot.

From the early hours of the morning, thousands began gathering in Perpa and
Caglayan in order to attend a meeting in Istanbul's Sisli Abide-I Hurriyet
(Freedom Monument) Square. The trade union federations KESK and DISK got
their contingents into position at about 11.30, the union federations
Turk-Is and Hak-Is started the march at Caglaya Square in the direction of
Sisli, shouting slogans in unison. Thousands of people were at the Sisli
Abide-I Hurriyet Square. Speeches were made from a podium in the name of the
organising committee. The chairman of the organising committee, Musa Cam,
said, "We are here for the sake of peace and a free life. On May 1, workers
are raising their voices everywhere against injustice. We want a government
directed by the people and the workers, in which there is no exploitation,
where there is democracy in every area of life and weapons are silent. We
want Turkey to be a country where there are no violations of human rights,
and people are not thrown into prison to experience isolation and death.
This is what we must struggle for, because we must protect the future of our
children. We will continue to march powerfully along the road we have
already marched along for years. The flag of the freedom of labour that
could not be freely carried will be left to our children."

At today's May Day rallies, thousands of people shouted slogans against the
compulsory removal of the right to compensation for length of work service,
against the compulsory liquidation of any savings funds that have
accumulated and against the wage freeze. Demands were also expressed for
collective bargaining agreements with trade unions and for laws giving job
security. Besides the demands and the problems of workers, another subject
raised at the rallies was the prisons. Banners were opened and slogans
shouted calling for the lifting of isolation in the F-Type prisons and for
the "three doors, three locks" proposal. Once again, thousands of people
shouted slogans in unison expressing solidarity with the Palestinians. To
sum up, the rally's main theme was "a human way of life".

In Ankara, the rally took place is Tandogan Square. In that city, various
groups which had assembled at different points headed for Tandogan Square.
During the march and the rally, the following slogans were shouted: "Long
live the First of May", "Long live labour and our struggle for bread and
freedom", and "An independent Turkey, down with the IMF". There were also
slogans shouted against the F-Type prisons and in solidarity with the
Palestinian people.

In Siirt, Diyarbakir and Mersin, May Day actions were banned. In Dersim,
Diyarbakir and Mardin fighting broke out when police attacked demonstrators.
More than 50 people were detained.

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More Info
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The DHKP-C and PKK feature on the list adopted by the Council of Europe of
organisations banned throughout the EU.

"Brussels, 3 May 2002
8549/02 (Presse 121)
DECISION ADOPTED BY WRITTEN PROCEDURE
FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM - updated list
On 2 May 2002, the Council adopted, by written procedure, two acts updating
the texts adopted
on 27 December 2001 in the wake of the events of 11 September which
implement UN Security
Council Resolution 1373. The acts adopted extend the list of persons, groups
and entities
involved in terrorist acts whose assets are frozen."
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More Info
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Date: April 30, 2002 Statement: 252

Nobody can conceal massacres with demagogy about the "terror list"!

We invite everyone to see the truth about Turkey.

Giving in to the demagogy of the murderous General Staff means approving the
tyranny of fascism and the American empire.

For several days now the newspapers and TV have been conducting a campaign,
almost frantic in its accusations and shot through and through with lies, to
have the DHKP-C placed on the European Union's "list of terrorist
organisations". This campaign has included headlines like "Terrorism has
also waved its flag in Brussels… They hung out their flag… Terrorists also
have diplomatic status…" as though the DHKC Brussels Information Bureau had
only been opened recently when in fact it has existed for years. With lies
like that piled upon each other and suchlike drivel, they are screaming,
"Put them on the list!" This chorus has finally been joined by the General
Staff of Turkey's armed forces, who earlier merely acted as chorus
conductor. "The terror organisation which has committed more than 350
murders is being protected by Europe," the Chief of the General Staff
Kivrikoglu said, adding, "What further proof is needed that Europe is being
insincere towards Turkey?"

It is the guilty who are talking! The General Staff and its government are
frantically concealing their massacres. These accusations are in line with
the USA's demagogy about terrorism. But the General Staff is responsible in
the first degree for massacres, murders, torture, the emptying of villages
by force, burning people to death, rape, pushing people into poverty and
hunger… indeed, every kind of tyranny. Throughout the history of the
Republic of Turkey, the General Staff has been responsible for all massacres
and has drowned in blood every search for justice, every search for rights
and freedoms. The General Staff has been the planner, instigator and
practitioner. If there is a terrorist in Turkey, throughout the Republic's
history it is this General Staff and the governments under its thumb which
are the terrorists. Besides, there must be few people in the world who do
not know the role the General Staff plays in politics in Turkey, and there
must be few people who do not know the army's role in government.

This is why the General Staff is frantically sounding off about the "DHKP-C
and terrorism". Its frantic noises spring from this urge to conceal its
guilt. After all, the Ariel Sharon way in which it destroyed its own
prisons on December 19, 2000, the way it burned people alive, has been
documented and presented to the world. Yes, it is the DHKP-C that supplied
the proof to the whole world. And the General Staff will not be able to say
a single word in reply. The General Staff is responsible for murdering tens
of thousands of our people, revolutionaries and patriots. And the world
knows this. The General Staff is afraid that its authority will decline. It
could not live and breathe for a second without America. It owes its
existence, life and power to America. Even its mind is on sale to America,
along with everything else. And all the executions, massacres and torture in
Turkey are done under the direction of the General Staff. And this too has
been documented by the DHKC for the whole world's benefit.

Now Kivrikoglu talks of "350 murders" by the DHKC. This is the General Staff
that for decades has run governments, created juntas, put up gallows,
created provocations, carried out executions and massacres, and used such
people as Islamists and the civilian fascist MHP (Nationalist Movement
Party) to carry out massacres and provocations. This is the General Staff
that distributed leaflets in the mountains with verses from the Koran,
leaflets calling for jihad against the communists. This is the General Staff
that used Hizbullah against revolutionaries. This is the General Staff that
has worked in collaboration with both the tarikats (Islamic religious
orders) and the mafia. And all this was done to destroy the revolutionaries.
And everything was and is done in the interests of America. And these
generals are the real government in Turkey. When they retire, for purely
selfish reasons they obtain posts as directors of banks and holding
companies. There are few exceptions to that rule. But these generals who are
still in power have no abilities other than committing massacres and acting
as collaborators. And these are the generals who have reduced our people to
poverty, collaborate with America and engage in demagogy about terrorism.
These are the generals who cannot be without America for a second, but who
use nationalist demagogy. These are the generals who commit murder but call
others terrorists.

The General Staff and the government want freedom to massacre:
It wants everyone to be "just like me"! The whole world must know this
characteristic feature of Turkey's General Staff. And now this General
Staff has learned by heart the terrorism demagogy that America has taught,
namely, "either you are with me or against me" and so it rushes about
destroying any opposition. It sees no guarantees of its own existence. So it
has to tell lies. It is afraid that one day it will be judged. It is afraid
of being judged by the people. Take note: throughout history you have not
seen this General Staff talking of rights and freedoms. Not once have you
seen it defending democracy and justice. Not once has it defended the
interests of the people. If the interests of the people come onto the
agenda, it either stages a coup or threatens to do so. What it wants,
treating it as a command from the USA, is to destroy all the
revolutionaries. And then it and America would be all that is left on the
stage. And it would stay in power forever. It wants no-one to think, no-one
to have freedom of speech, no-one to be an opponent. Just as it is known
that America is the creator of tyranny and poverty in the world, the General
Staff is the creator of tyranny and poverty in Turkey, and it knows that
where there is no justice, sooner or later there will be a people's
rebellion. Its guilt leads it into every kind of unbalanced behaviour, lies
and massacres. It is afraid of losing power. For this reason, it has a
phobia towards the DHKP-C. It has resorted to threats, blackmail and
pressure against many institutions and the media in Turkey in order to
control them. It lies when it wants and commits provocations when it wants.
This is what the General Staff is skilled in.

Never mind what it has done against revolutionaries; you will see the truth
when you examine what it has done against the bourgeois opposition in
Turkey. In Turkey there is no freedom of thought or freedom to oppose. There
is no way of seeking democratic rights. Parties, associations, trade unions,
the media are all repressed and kept in a form that suits the General Staff.
Those who do not conform risk being murdered, tortured or jailed; this is
the unchanging reality of Turkey. The General Staff says, "Give me money,
give me weaponry, train me in massacres, give me technology but don't meddle
in my other work." Its allies America and Europe want this.

Who is defending democracy? Who is defending justice, equality and freedom?
Now it is being put to the test. We will see. We will see whether or not
European democracy has at least a minimum understanding of rights and
freedoms and whether it will defend them. For if it calls the DHKP-C or any
other organisation struggling in Turkey "terrorist" at the behest of the
General Staff, then that means it approves of the General Staff remaining in
power indefinitely. It means it approves of all the massacres, torture and
tyranny committed by the General Staff throughout the history of the
Republic of Turkey. It means democracy and justice mean nothing to it. It
means that the struggle for rights and freedoms means nothing to it.

Who is a democrat, who sides with democracy, and who supports fascism?
We will see!

Ignoring massacres in Turkey while calling the struggle against its
tyrannical system "terror" is nothing but hypocrisy. It means saying to the
government of Turkey's oligarchy: "Continue your terrorism, continue
ignoring rights and freedoms.": it means that rights and freedoms are not
important, what is important is establishing the US empire.

Yes, we are continuing the struggle for rights and freedoms in Turkey. We
wonder what struggle it is that the General Staff is continuing? What does
the state mean to the General Staff, and who is this state for? The General
Staff cannot answer such questions. Now the world can put that to the test.
Everyone being tested can say, "I am on the side of democracy and justice."
But will those being tested give in to the demagogy of a murderous General
Staff or will they take a proper look at the General Staff? We invite the
whole world to see the truth. We invite the whole world to see the truth
about Turkey. How many thousands have been slain by a General Staff which
shouts, "Terrorist!" How is it continuing with its massacres? And who is
helping it? How are these policies being pursued? We invite everyone to look
at this truth in all its nakedness. It is also this General Staff which
works to prevent the truth being seen by giving instructions to the media
and telling them to write lies. It cannot endure even the smallest freedom
of thought, or even the search for rights. It cannot even bear
representational offices being set up. It cannot bear the thought of some
people telling the truth about Turkey. All it knows is: "Hang, cut, close
down…" Nothing else! Its frantic accusations must be seen. Its true face is
one of unconcealed fear. And they want the whole world to be like Turkey. If
you revealed your beliefs, immediately you are punished as "someone who is a
member of an (illegal) organisation or aided an organisation", if you set up
an association or a party, they will concoct the lie that you formed an
"illegal association", and if that fails they will hatch a conspiracy to
have you closed down. This is what they want. They have done this for
decades. And all these lies have come to this.

The DHKP-C, which struggles against fascism, is waging a just and legitimate
struggle. Those who use demagogy about "terrorism" are engaging in every
kind of exploitation and tyranny. This is the truth summed up in two
sentences. Everybody will determine their own position from this.


***
Supplement:
Something known to our people and to the press: they are using the same
demagogy again to steal prefabricated accommodation from people who have
been left hungry, without water and homeless or who have been left dead in
the ruins of earthquakes:

The Minister of Public Works, the MHP member Abdulkadir Akcan, issued a
statement that after the August 17, 1999 earthquake, some of the prefabs put
up after the earthquake had "fallen into the hands of PKK (Kurdistan
Workers' Party) and DHKP-C sympathisers", so it was decided to empty the
prefabs. This claim was completely false. They have left the people without
shelter, hungry and without water and are now trying to cover up their
thieving role with this type of demagogy. Every word he said was an
invention; but on the other hand, look at the fascist mentality: what right
does a sympathiser of this or that revolutionary organisation have to
possess a roof over his or her head following an earthquake?

Isn't this the mentality of Ariel Sharon?

This MHP ministerial statement is clear proof of how in our country for
years, every kind of tyranny or injustice has been concealed or justified
using the cover of "terrorism" and "terror organisations". They will throw
people who have been tormented by an earthquake out onto the streets by
forcing them out of their prefabs, and then use this same demagogy, the
demagogy of "terrorism"!

Devrimci Halk Kurtulus Cephesi (Revolutionary People's Liberation Front)

Thank You For Reading, i believe that this is very important information on the workers struggle in Turkey

Your In Struggle
comrade kamo

Kez
4th May 2002, 12:41
Repeat in more detail of terrible news:

(Taken from Halkin Sesi (Voice of the People) TV website, May 3, 2002. This
item has been translated into English by the DHKC London Information Bureau.
Down with fascism!
Long live our struggle!)

The DHKP-C was put on the "terrorist" list, as was eagerly awaited in Turkey

From now on the state in Turkey can celebrate. The EU Committee of
Representatives (COREPER) published in the official gazette of the EU today
(May 3, 2002) its decision taken yesterday on whom it was adding to the EU's
list of "terrorist" organisations and "terrorists". The list contained names
of a total of 23 organisations and 36 individuals. The list of organisations
added to this list, besides the DHKP-C, also included the PKK, the People's
Mojahedin of Iran, Japan's Aum Shinrikyo, Islami Jemaat from Egypt, and from
India, Baba Khalsa, Lesker-i Tayyibe and the International Sikh Youth
Federation. Organisations from Peru and Colombia were also included on the
list. Names which were already included on the list were those of the IRA
from Ireland, Spain's ETA as well as some associations connected to it, and
the Greek November 17 and Revolutionary People's Struggle organisations, as
well as Islamic Jihad from Palestine.

Turkey's state torturers will now be able to torture freely according to
"European standards". The European Union's ban on the DHKP-C has been put on
display for those in Turkey who have tortured, slaughtered and raped DHKP-C
supporters.
Europe knows very well that in Turkey torture, massacres and rape are a
matter of state policy. Nor are such practices an exception: they are
systematic. The DHKC also puts these crimes against humanity on display, but
it struggles against these crimes. To side with the state in Turkey means
siding with torture, massacres and rape. It is the wish of America and its
collaborators to have organisations seeking justice and freedom branded as
terrorists.

The institution connected to the Council of Europe banning the DHKP-C is
COREPER. COREPER is a platform of representatives of countries from the
European Union. COREPER reached agreements behind closed doors with Turkey's
torturers, murderers and rapists which were determined by its own interests,
and it wants all Europeans to support this.
In reaction to these developments, the DHKC Brussels Information Bureau said
the following in a statement:
"Even while banned, we will continue to expose the inhuman regime in Turkey.
If it is necessary to pay a price for wanting democracy, political
independence and justice, we are ready to pay this price. If it is necessary
to be imprisoned for saying that we are against torture, then we will go to
prison. But no ban, no use of force can terrorise us into forsaking our
legitimacy, nor can it prevent us from struggling against fascism.

The struggle against fascism is legitimate. It is an obligation to be on the
side of legitimacy. It is not a crime to struggle against fascism, it is a
crime to collaborate with fascism, it is a crime to support fascism."


Comrade Kamo

Maaja
4th May 2002, 12:48
Thanks for the interesting article. I know a musical group from Turkey - Group Yorum, they are also fighting for workers and for solidarity, against expolitation and capitalism. I know that they are very repressed, some of their musicians are always in prison and their families and friends are persecuted too. Just because they are fighting for the poor and expolited people! And the music they are making is wonderful! I think that Radio Rebelde should take them to it's playlist!

Maaja
4th May 2002, 12:59
Sorry, the groups name was Grup.
Yorum not Group Yorum. If you are interested then you can check out about them on www.grupyorum.net

Unfortunately it's available only in Turkish but there are very good photos about them, you can see them in prison and with workers etc. (Fotograflar=photos).

And their music is really GREAT!