Turkey: 100 years of oppression

Featured image: Hundred years of bloody oppression. Source: Avrupa Haber Merkezi

On the 29th of October the old Turkish State celebrated 100 years of its existence. The State was established on the ideological basis of the reactionary ideology of Kemalism, which represents the unconditional subjugating to the semi-colonial condition of the country, fierce Turkish chauvinism, anti-communism and bloody repression and oppression of the people, Avrupa Haber Merkezi (AHM) writes on their editor’s note. They continue: ”Today, the Erdoğan government, based on the same principles, has been updated as required by its plans for the Middle East, and by leaning more strongly on religious discourses, it continues the monist Kemalist line (one flag, one language, one homeland, one religion) in line with the interests of the Turkish comprador bourgeoisie and big landlords.”¹ They highlight that this line continues to be supported by all kinds of organizations and parties of the ruling classes in the name of ”national interest”.

”Essentially the entire history of the state is the history of oppression, massacre, torture, execution, exile and deportation”, they write and list some of the countless massacres and crimes committed against the people of various nationalities during the hundred years.

They continue to explain what kind of perspective there is for the starting of a second century:

”Second century promises are being made to the people whose lives have become unbearable in the vortex of earthquakes, price increases and financial difficulties. The people are being suppressed by oppression and force, young people have lost hope for the future, universities have been pushed out of science and academic-democratic freedom has been included in the scope of “terrorism”, femicide has increased, religious-chauvinist reactionary groups are protected by the government, the climate of chauvinist oppression against the Kurdish nation continues and imperialism is increasingly taking a grip of the region.” They point out that the first 100 years did not bring happiness or freedom to the people of various nationalities, and that ”The problem of democratization of the Republic of Turkey is a problem of revolution. Those who hope and spread dreams that their state will be democratized through elections and reforms are those who do not understand the nature of this tyrannical order and system or are making a class compromise.”

They highlight that on this anniversary, it is necessary to struggle against the increasing oppression, repression and hopelessness with struggling for the New Democratic Revolution.

1All translations are ours.