| More than 10,000 TEKEL workers who have been resisting for 34 days and realised a sit-in in Ankara for the last three days gathered on January 17 at the "Democracy and Rights for bread, peace and freedom" rally in Ankara joined by more than 100,000s of workers in total. The workers who went to Ankara from all over the country with their families with 500 buses occupied the podium when Turk-Is didn't announce the decision on a general strike what was expected by the workers. Later on, the workers occupied the general centre of the union in Ankara. READ MORE
The TEKEL workers' rally was supported by the fire fighters and the workers of Sabiha Gokcen Airport who are on strike as well as by workers of different sectors such as shipyard, mining, textile and by labourer officials. Besides KESK and DISK and some unions, revolutionary and democratic organisations, among them EHP , ODP , Halkevleri and ESP Initiative joined the rally, too. The TEKEL workers also received a message of solidarity by the workers of Venezuela. The workers marched to Sihhiye Square shouting many different slogans such as "It is coming, it is coming, the general strike is coming", "Everywhere TEKEL, everywhere resistance" and "Turk-Is, set to work, go to general strike". TEKEL workers carried grave clothes on which it said "We could die, but we won't give up" A female worker talking in the name of all TEKEL workers said that they haven't given up their resistance despite the police attacks with truncheons and pepper gas and despite the cold weather and that they won't give up. A fire fighter who spoke in the name of the fire fighters in Istanbul who have been on resistance, too, said: "With the power we got from the class solidarity and the union of the labourers, we will continue with our struggle until we achieve our rights." During the speech of Turk-Is general president Mustafa Kumlu, the workers were continuously shouting the slogan "General strike, general resistance". Kumlu saluted the workers' resistance and asked the government to realise different demands of the workers. However, when he didn't announce the decision on a general strike expected by the workers, the workers occupied the podium. The workers called on Kumlu to come to the podium again and to announce the general strike. Kumlu didn't come and the workers declared that Turk-Is cheated on them. TEKEL workers declared also that they will start a death fast and shouted slogans calling on the leadership of Turk-Is to resign. Later on, TEKEL workers also occupied the general centre of the union in Ankara. Fire fighters in Istanbul who have been on resistance for some time became unemployed when the fire service was privatised from January 1st on. The workers who are members of Belediye-Is organised an action on January in front of Istanbul metropolity municipality The workers announced to continue with their resistance. READ MORE
More than 1000 people marched from Sarachane Park to the metropolity municipality and shouted the slogans "There won't be subcontracting at the fire brigade" and "TEKEL, firefighters, shoulder to shoulder". The DHF , ESP -G and workers of the Esenyurt town hall were among those supporting the fire fighter workers. Nihat Aktas, chairman of Belediye-Is 5 No., made a statement condemning the police attack on the fire fighters on January 9 and declared that the workers are determined to continue with the resistance until they will be given all their rights. Solidarity is growing with the conscientious objector Enver Aydemir who was imprisoned 2 weeks ago. On January 6, a solidarity action organised by some young people in Ankara was attacked by the police. The young people were arrested and dragged by the police. This attack was protested the day after in Istanbul and Ankara. READ MORE The Initiative for Solidarity with the Conscientious Objector Enver Aydemir gathered at Galatasaray Square, Istanbul, and made a statement demanding the release of Aydemir and their friends arrested. In the statement it was also said that everyone fighting for his rights such as the TEKEL workers and those fighting against housing demolition is attacked and arrested by the police. The young activists opened the banner "The oppression by the army and police can't stop us" and shouted slogans such as "We won't kill, we won't be killed and we won't be anyone's soldier" and "Object, resist, and don't go to the army". At Dicle University, Amed, the SGD started a campaign titled "This dirty war is a crime against humanity. Don't join this crime" in solidarity with the conscientious objector Enver Aydemir who is behind bars at a military prison. The SGD called the young activists to stand up against the dirty war. Enver Aydemir was arrested on December 24, 2009 on his way to Istanbul Bogazici University to participate and talk at the Conscientious Objection Conference. He was taken to a military prison. There, he had to face torture such as bastinado, punishing and leaving naked in the cold by the prison commander, military staff and the prisoners that were provoked. At the Conscientious Objection Conference, 7 young people announced to be conscientious objectors. In Turkey, 79 people, 14 out of them women, have declared conscientious objection. Conscientious Objection Conferences will also be organised at ODTU and Dicle University. TEKEL workers of the factory in Cevizli, Istanbul, made a referendum on January 6 and decided with 99.9% of the votes to continue with the strike. The workers said "Our ideology consists of work, bread and freedom" giving an answer to the prime minister who had named their resistance as an "ideological action". READ MORE
The TEKEL workers announced their decision to organise a huge rally on January 14 in Ankara. After this rally, the workers will go on a 3-days lasting hunger strike, and if their demands are still rejected to be accepted, a death fast is planned. The workers expect all workers and labourers, workers' unions, political parties and mass organisations to be present at the rally in Ankara to show solidarity with them. Turk-Is General Secretary Mustafa Turkel said in a statement that 3,000 labour organisations from all over the world would come to Ankara for solidarity. He said: "Those coming to Ankara won't leave Ankara, you could only make us leave in ambulances. We are ready to die. We won't leave without getting our rights". During his statement the workers were shouting the slogans "We will sell the ones who sold us" and "If there's no work and bread, there won't be peace". As a result of the massacre realised by the Zionist Israeli state last year in Gaza, 1,500 people were killed and more than 5,000 injured. Since then, the embargo has continued. Some organisations in solidarity with Palestine gathered at Istiklal Street in Taxim, Istanbul, and protested against the 1st anniversary of the massacre. At the action, the slogans "Freedom to Palestine, boycott Israel" and "Smash the wall, end the siege". The Initiative of Boycotting Israel for Palestine made a statement announcing that they had started a boycott against Israel.
The Turkish bourgeois state has continued with its attacks against the organisations of the Kurdish national liberation movement after the DTP was banned by the Constitutional Court. Last week many Kurdish patriots were arrested as a result of the raids on houses and offices in 11 towns, among them 7 mayors who continued to work with the Peace and Democracy Party ( BDP ) after the DTP was banned as well as Hatip Dicle, the co-president of the Democratic Society Congress, and 47 out of them imprisoned. The representatives elected by the Kurdish people were taken to court with handcuffs and made walk one after another in a single queue. This picture turned into a symbol of the colonial fascist characteristic of the Turkish bourgeois state. The detentions of the BDP activists were answered with huge protests. Those mayors not being arrested said that they committed the same crime as the arrested and that they will continue to do so. At some places the mass actions were attacked by the police with gas bombs and pressurized water. The protests are continuing. Day12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031 Month123456789101112 Year20102009200820072006 |