SOLIDARITY WITH DTP

"Solidarity is not a matter of sentiment but a fact, cold and impassive as the granite foundations of a skyscraper. If the basic elements, identity of interest, clarity of vision, honesty of intent, and oneness of purpose, or any of these is lacking, all sentimental pleas for solidarity, and all other efforts to achieve it will be barren of results."
~ Eugene V. Debs, American Socialist.

First of all, go over to Hevallo's place and read his post on how "Barack Obama Gives Green Light for Suppression of Kurdish Civil Rights".

The next item is from email:

Declaration by Francis Wurtz, President of the GUE/NGL group



On the situation in Turkey after recent local elections: Yes to political struggle - No to political oppression!

Brussels, 15/04/09

According to recent information, the Turkish police have undertaken a large-scale raid against the leaders, activists and offices of the Democratic Society Party (DTP) in Turkey, particularly in the south-eastern part of the country. More than 70 people, including three of the party's Vice-Presidents have been arrested. The police action was also directed against a TV station and the headquarters of the Union of South-East municipalities, which were searched.

This political move by the Turkish police follows the impressive results of the DTP in the local elections on 29 March 2009, in which the party almost doubled the number of municipalities it won (from 56 to 98). In ten provinces of the East and South-East of Turkey, the DTP obtained the highest popular support, meaning it has developed into the strongest political force there.

Immediately after these results were made public, a number of problematic statements were made by representatives of the Turkish government and the security forces, for example regarding the success of the DTP, which they considered a matter of concern and even a threat to the national security!

Against this background, the police action can only be seen as politically motivated. We therefore call on the Turkish authorities to respect the will of the people, expressed in the recent local elections, and to guarantee citizens their rights, especially freedom of activity for political parties in Turkey, in this instance the DTP, of other regional organisations, such as the Union of South-East municipalities, and of the media.

The European United Left/Nordic Green Left Group in the European Parliament calls for the immediate release of all those who have been arrested as well as the re-opening of the TV station.

GUE/NGL press officer - Gianfranco Battistini + 32 475 646628 gbattistini@europarl.eu.int

The European Peace Parliament stands in support of DTP:

In it's statement, the European Peace Parliament condemned the operation against DTP and said, "We ask those people who are responsible for the operation against DTP, primarily the AKP government, for the immediate release of the DTP administrators."

Turkish ESP (Platform for the Socialist Oppressed) stands in support of DTP:

The Platform for the Socialist Oppressed (ESP) has issued a statement in support of DTP:

"The Kurdish people's strong declaration of the recognition of DTP in the 29 March local elections, especially in Kurdish provinces, becoming the only party position in the region, discomforts the dominant powers and AKP government. Thus they brought their intolerance to the election results and their attack policies into play.

"As a result of the protest regarding the election results in Ağrı, tens of people were wounded and many were arrested as a result of the brutal attacks of the police. Two people were murdered by state forces at the celebration for Abdullah Öcalan's birthday in Amara. With today's ongoing detention terrorism, DTP's policy-making as a just, democratic, and honorable peace demand for the Kurdish question is being hindered. The attacks against DTP, after the US President Barack Obama's visit to Turkey, is a dirty bargain of bourgeois solution-seeking which excludes DTP in the Kurdish question.

"We call all revolutionaries, pioneers, and all of society's opposition segments to have solidarity with the Kurdish people and their political representative, DTP, to raise the motto of the brotherhood of the Turkish and Kurdish people."

The Turkish Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP) stands in support of DTP:

ÖDP: A Lynch Attempt Against DTP Is Being Implemented

ÖDP's Deputy General Chairman Haydar İlker reacted to the operation against DTP and said that a lynch attempt against DTP is being implemented with the detentions.

The Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP) Deputy General Chairman Haydar İlker, made a statement about the detention of DTP Deputy General Chairmen, parliamentary executive committee members (MYK), lawyers, and deputy mayors. Evaluating the operations that occured a short time after local elections as "a lynch attempt against a political party which has a group in parliament and won municipality elections in several provinces with the votes of the people," İlker said: "The Freedom and Solidarity Party, which supports a democratic solution to the Kurdish question, condemns this anti-democratic implementation and declares that we are on the side of the Democratic Society Party. Those detained must be immediately released."

The Turkish Democratic Socialist Party (SDP) stands in support of DTP:

"SDP, either because of our belief in the internationalist struggle and the prerequisite of our strategic alliance with the Kurdish freedom movement, today we defend a democratic solution to the Kurdish question as we defended yesterday. We repeat one more time that we will stand against all forms of annihilation and denial against the Kurdish people. We will continue to stand in complete alliance and solidarity with DTP."

The Turkish Labor Party (EMEP) stands in support of DTP:

EMEP: There is nothing acceptable

EMEP Deputy General Chairman Kamil Tekin Sürek, said that there is nothing acceptable about the operations. Related to the subject, Sürek released a written statement, "Such an operation against DTP is not acceptable in a time when PKK declared a ceasefire and a Kurdish conference assembly was announced, and an era when peaceful methods and approaches are discussed instead of armed clashes." Sürek announced, "The AKP government does not hesitate to apply fascist methods," and demanded an immediate end to the operation.

Do you see a pattern here?

Needless to say, Rastî always stands in support of DTP.