Turkish Communists Hold Gatherings in Istanbul and Izmir
Gathering organized by the Communist Party of Turkey (Photo: SoL)
The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) organized gatherings in Istanbul and Izmir on December 22-23, calling for “hope, organizing, and celebrating, to win 2020.” TKP general secretary Kemal Okuyan, poet Nihat Behram, journalist-author Enver Aysever and actor Orhan Aydın participated in the gatherings, besides hundreds of party workers.
The events were organized to prepare the party cadre for the upcoming struggles in the new year. SoL reported that workers from many sectors, including workers of retail giant Bimeks, textile workers, teachers, construction workers and metal workers, besides daily wage earners took part in Sunday’s event in Istanbul.
On Saturday, while addressing the gathering at Izmir, Kemal Okuyan, TKP general secretary, said, “When organized, we are fighting against the bosses. We are making them take some steps back, but we’re not deceiving anyone. As long as this system continues, exploitation, inequality, hunger, poverty, and unemployment will continue. So we need to encourage people to struggle, even if it is difficult.”
A major event has also been scheduled by the TKP in the Turkish capital Ankara on January 4.
Crackdowns on opposition forces in Turkey have intensified since president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to invade Syria in October. Editors of independent media organizations were detained for their coverage of the invasion and leaders of the Peoples’ Democratic Party faced investigations. In the aftermath of the invasion, the TKP gave a call for a “Hands off Syria” protest.
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