Police attacks and tortures demonstrators in Sarıgazi, Istanbul
Featured image: Protesters resisting the police blockade during the demonstration of 2nd of July. Source: Yeni Demokrasi
On 2nd of July the Turkish police attacked a demonstration in Sarıgazi, Istanbul commemorating the Sivas Massacre, in which the Turkish State murdered 37 Alevi intellectuals at the Madimak hotel in 1993. The spearhead of the attack was directed against revolution, as the police attacked mainly the Partizan contingent who was carrying banners with the picture of the communist leader İbrahim Kaypakkaya and justified banning the demonstration on the basis of the banners. Similar attacks have been carried out many times in the past, such as on the 1st of May. On the 7th of July a press conference denouncing the attack was held by the Sarıgazi Organizing Committee, consisting of Partizan and other democratic and revolutionary organizations.
The crowd protested the attack with the slogan “Long live revolutionary solidarity!” and kept on resisting despite police blocking the way of the demonstration. Anti-fascist and anti-police slogans were shouted. In the face of the resistance, police fired tear gas at the demonstration and violently detained five people, including journalist Emre Orman and three Partizan readers.
In police custody, the detained were subjected to inhumane treatment, humiliation and torture. This included naked search, reverse handcuffs, making the detained stand facing the wall and psychological and physical violence. One of the detained Partizan readers stated that the police targeted him from the beginning, and that he was physically tortured while in custody. He said that the police had been harassing him for a long time, first trying to break him by pretending to be a friend, attempting to bribe him in different means, and after no success, they started waiting outside of his house and following him. He affirmed that the revolutionaries will not bow to any pressure, and will keep on struggling and embodying İbrahim Kaypakkaya more, who sacrificed his life for the revolution 50 years ago.
In the press conference held by the Sarıgazi Organizing Committee the attack and how the detained were treated was denounced. It was stated that the reoccurring attacks against Kaypakkaya shows how afraid the ruling class is of revolution, because they know that sooner or later it will be victorious. The press conference further stated that the banner of Kaypakkaya will be raised again in future actions, and the revolutionary struggle will continue despite attacks, with the revolutionary leaders living on in the struggle of the proletariat and the oppressed peoples.
