New Events

International

no events posted in last week

Blog Feeds

Anti-Empire

Anti-Empire

offsite link North Korea Increases Aid to Russia, Mos... Tue Nov 19, 2024 12:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link Trump Assembles a War Cabinet Sat Nov 16, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link Slavgrinder Ramps Up Into Overdrive Tue Nov 12, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link ?Existential? Culling to Continue on Com... Mon Nov 11, 2024 10:28 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link US to Deploy Military Contractors to Ukr... Sun Nov 10, 2024 02:37 | Field Empty

Anti-Empire >>

The Saker
A bird's eye view of the vineyard

offsite link Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb

offsite link The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog.? We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).?

offsite link What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are

offsite link Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
2023/02/27 19:00:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of

offsite link The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
Pepe Escobar for the Saker blog A powerful feeling rhythms your skin and drums up your soul as you?re immersed in a long walk under persistent snow flurries, pinpointed by

The Saker >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link News Round-Up Mon Dec 23, 2024 01:12 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Staff at ?100 Million Alan Turing Institute Attack ?Chaotic? Management Amid Diversity Row Sun Dec 22, 2024 19:00 | Richard Eldred
Staff at the ?100 million Alan Turing Institute have erupted in protest over a diversity row, accusing leadership of "tokenistic" hiring and sparking fears that the organisation's credibility is at risk.
The post Staff at ?100 Million Alan Turing Institute Attack ?Chaotic? Management Amid Diversity Row appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link ?Our Irish Leaders Have Contributed to Hatred Against Jews? Sun Dec 22, 2024 17:00 | Richard Eldred
Ireland's Chief Rabbi has blasted the country's leaders for fuelling antisemitism, leaving Jewish children hiding their identities and many others afraid to wear symbols of their faith.
The post ?Our Irish Leaders Have Contributed to Hatred Against Jews? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link ?Grocery Tax? to Hike Britons? Shopping Bills by ?56 in Labour Net Zero ?Inflation Boost? Sun Dec 22, 2024 15:00 | Richard Eldred
Labour's "grocery tax" is set to punish British families, slapping an extra ?56 onto their shopping bills and driving up inflation, all in the name of Net Zero.
The post ?Grocery Tax? to Hike Britons? Shopping Bills by ?56 in Labour Net Zero ?Inflation Boost? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Furious German Protesters Demand Mass Deportations Following Christmas Market Attack by Saudi Doctor... Sun Dec 22, 2024 13:00 | Richard Eldred
Over 1,000 protesters have flooded Magdeburg, demanding mass deportations after a Saudi psychiatrist killed five people and injured over 200 in a Christmas market attack.
The post Furious German Protesters Demand Mass Deportations Following Christmas Market Attack by Saudi Doctor, Leaving Five Dead Including a Nine Year-Old Boy appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?113 Fri Dec 20, 2024 10:42 | en

offsite link Pentagon could create a second Kurdish state Fri Dec 20, 2024 10:31 | en

offsite link How Washington and Ankara Changed the Regime in Damascus , by Thierry Meyssan Tue Dec 17, 2024 06:58 | en

offsite link Statement by President Bashar al-Assad on the Circumstances Leading to his Depar... Mon Dec 16, 2024 13:26 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?112 Fri Dec 13, 2024 15:34 | en

Voltaire Network >>

Bombings at Ankara peace demonstration

category international | anti-war / imperialism | press release author Thursday October 15, 2015 21:57author by sp reporter Report this post to the editors

Socialist Party Press Release - 12th Oct 2015

The horrendous double bombing attack that struck a protest rally for peace organized by several trade unions in Ankara, Turkey’s capital city, on Saturday 10 October, led, at the last count, to at least 128 deaths, and hundreds injured. It is the largest terrorist attack in the country’s history. Many victims are still in intensive care units in various hospitals, while a number of bodies, unrecognizable, have not yet been identified. This attack, by its human and political magnitude, has shaken the country to its foundations.
ankara620x330.jpg

Saturday’s demonstration was organized by the Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (KESK), the Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK), the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) and the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB). A few minutes before the start of the protest, a bomb exploded on where activists from the left and pro-Kurdish party HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party) had gathered. A second blast occurred about fifty meters from the first one, bringing more destruction and deaths on its way. Eyewitnesses, including members of Sosyalist Alternatif (CWI) who arrived on the scene just a few minutes after the bombing, reported scenes of unspeakable horror.

They also confirmed other reports of attempts by the police to obstruct help being given to the victims. Tear gas was fired into crowds of surviving protesters and relatives and ambulances were stopped. Riot police were sent to the scene of the carnage even before the first ambulances arrived. Huseyin Demirdizen, from the Physicians Association of Turkey (TTB) said: “While the doctors from the health workers union were calling for blood donations, the government announced there was no need for blood. If the health workers were not already at the demonstration the number of deaths and wounded would have been much higher.”

Almost immediately after the attack, the regime decided to block Twitter and Facebook accounts, in an obvious attempt to prevent grassroots reports circulating and to give to the media controlled by the AKP (Justice and Development Party, the governing party) the upper hand, which accused left groups or the PKK of being behind the twin bombing.

The first response by state forces has left absolutely no doubt about where the regime stands in relation to what is not just a tragedy, but clearly a politically-orchestrated massacre. Whatever is the exact role played by the Erdoğan regime in this attack its political responsibility is overwhelming. This bombing took place in a context of a strategy in recent months of growing escalation and provocation, including physical attacks, by Erdoğan’s regime forces and his thugs against the Left and the Kurdish national movement. A brutal war of aggression is also underway by the Turkish army against the PKK and the Kurdish people in the country’s south east, which has killed hundreds. Even though the PKK said on Saturday they would hold a ceasefire before Turkey goes to the polls on 1 November, the Turkish army bombed PKK positions in south east Turkey and northern Iraq, killing scores over the weekend.

The “anti-terrorist” drum beat of the regime fools no one. It has been mainly used as a cover to crackdown on the Left and against the pro-Kurdish and HDP activist base, which have overwhelmingly been at the receiving end of a campaign of state terror. Over the last years, ISIS and other jihadists groups have, on the contrary, benefited from the established complicity of the Turkish state in their activities in Syria.

Desolation and rage

Hence the sadness and desolation provoked by Saturday’s horrendous bombings rapidly and rightly merged into rage against the AKP government, including internationally. On Saturday afternoon, tens of thousands of people demonstrated against the government in Istanbul and other cities. On Sunday, in Ankara, about 10,000 were back on the streets, at the very square near the railway station where the bombings took place the day before. This shows the mood of defiance and fearlessness that exists. At the burial of some of the victims, the anger of the masses was running deep, and it is very unlikely to evaporate anytime soon.

The four left-wing trade union confederations have called for a 48 hour general strike on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th October. This is a very appropriate and welcoming move that needs to be supported by the Left and the labour and trade union movement internationally. A general strike, by bringing together the Kurdish and Turkish people to fight in a united way, is the best response to Erdoğan and his ruling clique’s attempts to use the blood of working people to divide-and-rule and enhance their power, as well as the profits of the rich business tycoons which this power defends. Seeing the utter failure of the state and police forces to protect the people, Left and union rallies and demonstrations will have to be properly stewarded and protected. Appropriate self-defense measures, involving all communities, need to be taken in conjunction with trade union organisations.

The CWI wants to bring its full solidarity, sympathy and condolences with all those who have been victims of Saturday’s attack, all those who have lost relatives, friends and comrades. The best way to honour their deaths is by renewing the struggle against the thuggish and dictatorial regime of Erdoğan, against the capitalist system and imperialist powers that stand behind it, and for a socialist and democratic world. Let us make sure that this strike is only the beginning of the building of a mass and united workers’ and youth movement that can put this cynical and murderous regime into the dustbin of history.

© 2001-2024 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy