13) "TURKEY IS WITNESSING A GENUINE POPULAR MOVEMENT"
Statement by the Central Committee, Communist Party of Turkey, June 4, 2013
For days now Turkey is witnessing a genuine popular movement. The actions and protests, which started in Istanbul and spread all over Turkey, have a massive, legitimate and historic character. The most important of all is the striking change in the mood of people. The fear and apathy has been overcome and people gained self‑confidence.
The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) has been part of the popular movement beginning from the first day and mobilized all its forces, tried to embolden the proletarian and revolutionary character of the movement, endeavoured to pervade a mature attitude of discipline, organized numerous actions and demonstrations. In this process, the police forces carried out a heavy assault on our party headquarters in Ankara. All over Turkey, several party members have been injured and arrested. There have been some attempts to abduct our party cadres. But the attempts of provocations against our party were defeated.
Our emphasis on the role of the TKP does not aim to underestimate the spontaneous nature of the movement or contribution of the other political actors. On the contrary, the TKP stressed that this movement has an aspect beyond the impact of any political actor or any kind of political opportunism.
The call of the masses for the government to resign is an absolute truth of this movement. Although it is obvious that a leftist alternative cannot be built "right now", this demand should be expressed loudly. This option for the working people can be generated only through benefitting from the energy that came out at this historical moment. The TKP will focus on this and expose the real meaning of alternatives like "the formation of a national government", which will most likely be put forward to deceive the working masses into thinking that the crisis can be overcome that way.
Without a doubt, the holders of political power will try to calm the people down, institute control and even attempt to use the situation to their advantage. They can have temporary achievements. Even in that case the popular movement would not be wasted. The TKP is ready for a period of stubborn but intense struggle.
In order to act in concert, different branches of the socialist movement sharing similar goals and concerns need to evaluate the rise of this popular movement immediately. The TKP, without interrupting its daily missions and activities, is going to act responsibly regarding this issue and endeavour to create a common ground in line with the urgent demands below.
In order to nullify the plans of the government to classify and divide the popular movement as legitimate and illegitimate, all forces need to avoid steps that might cause damage to the legitimacy of the movement. It is the political power that attacks. The people should defend themselves as well as their rightful action but never fall into the provocation trap of the government.
While the masses are chanting the slogan "government, resign", negotiations limited to the future of the Taksim‑Gezi Park are meaningless. The government pretends not to understand the fact that the old balances have been upset fundamentally and cannot be restored. Everybody knows that the popular movement is not the product of susceptibility towards the trees in the Gezi Park. The anger of the people is over the urban transformation projects, the terror of the market, open direct interventions in different lifestyles, the Americanism and the subordination to the US, the reactionary policies, the enmity towards the Syrian people. The AKP [the governing right-wing Justice and Development Party] cannot deceive the people with a discourse of "we will plant more trees than the ones that we will chop down."
While rolling up our sleeves in order to create an alternative of the working people, the movement needs to lean on certain concrete demands. These demands are valid in the case of the resignation of the government or of Erdogan:
a) The government must announce that the projects that involve the demolishment of the Gezi Park and of the Ataturk Cultural Center are terminated.
b) Those who were taken in custody during the resistance must be released and all charges against them must be dropped immediately.
c) All officials whose crimes against the people are proven by the reports of the commissions formed by the Union of Bar Associations and local bar associations must be relieved of their duties.
d) Attempts to hinder the right of the people to get true news on the developments must be stopped.
e) All prohibitions regarding meetings, demonstrations and marches must be repealed.
f) All de facto or de jure obstacles that block the political participation of the people, including the 10 per cent election threshold and the anti‑democratic articles of the "law on political parties", must be abolished.
g) All initiatives that attempt to impose a monotype life style to all people must be stopped.
These urgent demands will in no case affect our right and duty to continue opposition against the political power. The people's reaction to the government must be reinforced, and efforts must be concentrated to bring about a real alternative in the political scene.
The star and the crescent Turkish flag, intended to be used to provide a shield for reactionary and chauvinist attacks against labourers, leftists, Kurdish people after the fascist military coup of September 12, 1980, has now been grasped by the People from the hands of fascism, and given to the honourable hands of Deniz Gezmis [a famous Turkish revolutionary, executed by the government in 1972] and his comrades, as a flag in the hands of patriotic people.
The People's movement, ever since the beginning, has persistently let down the sinister strategy to play one community against another in Turkey. This attitude must carefully be maintained, leaving no room for chauvinism or vulgar nationalism.
Appealing to our Kurdish brothers and sisters, we had already declared that "There can be no peace agreement with the AKP". There can be no deal with a political power to which its own people have turned their back, and the true face of which has been revealed. Kurdish politics must give up "cherishing hopes of proceeding further with AKP", and become a strong constituent of a united, patriotic and enlightened working people's movement.
Our citizens who have lost their lives through the hands of the police force of the political power, have sacrificed their lives in the name of a just and historical struggle. The people are never going to forget their names, and those who are responsible for their death will pay the price before law.
(The above article is from the June 16-30, 2013, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)