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June 18, 2013

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Mass Mobilization in Turkey

Christof Lehmann (nsnbc),- After almost three weeks, the mass protests against Turkey´s Prime Minister Erdogan have entered a new phase. Leading members of Erdogan´s Justice and Development Party joined the rank of protesters who demand that Erdogan has to step down. Turkey´s Trade Unions and Professional Chambers are on strike today and discuss a general strike.

The protests are no longer a strive between AKP and opposition parties, but broad, popular mass protests against a Prime Minister, whose autocratic leadership style, defiance and inability to tolerate criticism, and whose brutal use of police forces against his people, has thrown Turkey on the path toward revolt. Yesterday Turkey, the people of Turkey entered a new phase of mass mobilization.

Police forces in Istanbul held Taksim Square after protesters were dispersed in a police operation, about which eyewitnesses report, that it was not only a miracle, but due to the protesters solidarity, that the mass panic caused by police brutality did not result in scores of dead and injured. All entrances to Taksim Square are guarded by police.

Many fleeing protesters found shelter in the Divan Hotel, near Taksim Square, where hotel employees had organized an infirmary for injured protesters and those, who needed treatment for the effects of pepper-spray and tear gas.

Protesters to “be treated as terrorists”. Egemen Bagis, Turkey´s Minister of State and Chief E.U. negotiator appeared on live TV and stated:
    “From now on, those who appear at Taksim Square will be treated as terrorists”.
Defying the threats, thousands were trying to reach Taksim Square, ending in a situation, where one must guess whether the police is holding Taksim Square, or whether protesters are preparing to lay a siege on the police forces.

Throughout the day, police crack-downs continued in the Harbiye, Besiktas and Okmeydani districts of Istanbul. In an attempt to limit protesters movements, the police has closed the ferry port in Besiktas. The ferry connects the Asian and European sides of Istanbul. Closing the ferry route is, as if the Erdogan administration is preparing for a siege. In the evening, public meetings were planned for more than thirty cities.

In Ankara, thousands took part in the funeral ceremony for Ethem Sarisuluk. Sarisuluk was killed, when he was shot in the head by a police man, days ago. Police intervened and cracked down on the morning protesters with teargas, water-cannons and batons.

In Hatay, protesters formed a 25 km long human chain to mourn Abdullah Comert who died when a civilian vehicle drove into masses of protesters during the first days of the protests.

In the evening hours, protests were held in every major city throughout Turkey. A news bulletin from the Workers´Party – Turkey informs about arrests. In Istanbul the protests and clashes between protesters and police continued throughout the night. 45 protesters in Istanbul and 70 protesters in Ankara were contained.

Turkey´s Trade Unions have called for a strike. DISK, the Confederation of progressive Trade Unions, and KESK, the Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions together organize more than 800.000 members. Also joining the strike are Turkey´s professional chambers, the TMMOB, Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects and the TTB, the Turkish Medical Association, joined the strike.

Medical workers throughout Turkey became outraged, when Prime Minister Erdogan violated the internationally recognized principle of medical neutrality and threatened to revoke the licenses of medical doctors who were helping injured protesters.

The the Trade Union Confederations are currently discussing, if, when, or under which circumstances they should call for a nationwide, general strike which effectively would grind the entire nation to a halt. The confederations also announced that they would organize demonstrations in Istanbul.

Counter Demonstrations, False Accusations, and Card Carrying AKP Thugs. Under the supervision of Prime Minister R. Tayyip Erdogan and against the protest of leading AKP members, Erdogan began organizing “counter demonstrations”. Not many took part, but the counter demonstrations were an impressive display of card-carrying AKP thugs and desperate lies in an attempt to discredit the mass protests.

As he did over the past days, Prime Minister Erdogan again accused protesters of “drinking alcohol in mosques”. Erdogan also lashed out against some of Turkey´s corporations without being specific. Erdogan stressed the economic success of his government and criticized the foreign press. Particularly one statement caused amusement among protesters, when Erdogan apparently contradicted himself. In prior statements, Erdogan declared that religion would unite the people, saying:

    “I stomp on every form of nationalism”.

In his speech yesterday however, he said:

    “We are one, we are together, we are all the Turkish nation”.

The Turkish nation however, along with leading members of his own party, all opposition parties, the Turkey´s professional chambers and Trade Unions, is on strike today.

Moreover, they are considering a general strike, against Prime Minister R. Tayyip Erdogan who refuses to step down and let the Turkish nation decide whether it will re-elect him.

It seems as if Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeing himself as “we” and that he is enforcing “our” will, with ever more desperate means and measures.

On Sunday night, card-carrying, AKP-flag-waving party thugs, armed with batons, went on manhunt in the Beyogly district. The thugs attacked the office of the CHP, one of Turkey´s opposition parties and broke the windows of the party building. Later on, during the night, AKP flag waving thugs were observed behind police barricades.

The words of the vice-chairman of the Workers´Party – Turkey, Hasan Basri Ă–zbey come to mind:

 You cannot silence a nation with pepper spray, tear gas and riot control vehicles. Erdogan did not understand that yet. We are warning Tayyip Erdogan, withdraw the police from Taksim immediately, recognize all demands of the people and surrender to the Turkish nation”.

Erdogan´s greatest problems, maybe Turkey´s greatest problem may be, that Erdogan sincerely believes, he “is” the Turkish nation. Unless the AKP leadership forces Erdogan to change course, or until they will be removed along with Erdogan, Turkey may be heading for a general strike and a protracted stand-down between “We, Recep Tayyip Erdogan” and “We The People“.

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