Epress.am News from Armenia
A crowd of a few dozen people gathered on Sunday, July 26 evening in Mashtots Park in central Yerevan to show their solidarity with Turkish people as they fight against Islamic fundamentalists and government forces in Turkey.
Prior to the event, the organizers shared the following text via social media:
“A terrorist attack took place on 20th July, 2015 in the border town of Suruç neighboring with Syria. The suicide bomber caused the death of 32 and wounded more than 100 persons.
“The majority of the victims were members of Federation of Socialist Youth Association and other left-wing groups, including anarchists that had gathered in Suruc to transport humanitarian aid to the war-torn Syrian city of Kobane and to participate in its rehabilitation.
“Notwithstanding the criticism of leftist groups engaged in armed struggles with the IS in the north of Iraq and Syria, and the criticism of the authoritarianism of leftists groups that are involved in the armed conflict, we are unable to remain silent and restrain from standing in solidarity with the struggle of our comrades against religious fundamentalism and Salafism, particularly against reactionary forces, that are not abhoring from mass executions and human trafficking, and against countries speculating on thousands of murders.
“Commercial establishments, collaborating with the IS and mosques affiliated with the Salafite groups were targeted in the attacks of left-wing groups in the coming days that followed the demonstrations in small and big cities all over the country, as well as continuous street battles with police and its criminal henchmen in Istanbul, emphasized the rejection of Salafism and radical fundamentalism in the larger parts of Turkish society, as well as the degree of dissatisfaction with the policies of the ruling AKP party and government, led by R.T. Erdogan.
“According to the official media, a few days later Turkey engaged in a war against the IS. Turkish armed forces destroyed several positions of the IS on the other side of the border and seized the warehouse of the Islamists. According to the left-wing media, the information about the launch of war is a deliberate exaggeration.
“During street clashes on 24th of July 250 persons were arrested under the guise of an ‘anti-terrorist operation.’ The majority of the arrested, including 30 foreign citizens were members of left-wing organizations. In the morning of the same day Günay Özarslan, a Marxist member of the underground leftist organization “Front People” (HC-Halk Cepheci) was murdered by police in her own house. According to official data woman was killed in a crossfire, whereas according to the accounts of journalists and lawyers the victim was unarmed.
“A number of radical leftist organizations issued a statement announcing full mobilization in Istanbul that is scheduled to take place on 24 July. On the same day, the second wave of clashes had already spread in Ankara.
“The considerable part of protesters in Istanbul and in other cities in Turkey also consisted of leftist groups and organizations of different sorts. It allows us to hope that the spontaneous confrontation provoked by the police will not result in acts of unnecessary violence and will not spread beyond the folk reprisals on fundamentalists.
“Considering it essentially impossible to resolve the issues of national, racial, class, gender and other forms of oppression without revolution in production and distribution of wealth, without revolution in decision-making and society self-government, we hope that the progressive forces in Turkey will manage to mobilize the lower strata for a justful struggle and avoid fetishizing violence as well as always unneeded causalities.
“We express our solidarity with our comrades struggling in the frontline and urge everyone to support the progressive forces in Turkey.
“The oppressed of all countries, unite!
“No Gods, No Masters, No Nations, No Borders!
“Global Solidarity!”