Turkey: Partizan Calls for a May Day Rally
We hereby share an unofficial translation of the 1st of May call from Partizan, published on the Partizan website.
With Our United, Strong, and Organized Voice for Our Land, Our Labor, Our Future, and Our Freedom—To Taksim on May 1!
We are living in a time when imperialists and their lackeys are drenching the Middle East in blood, slaughtering oppressed peoples, and using every deadly weapon to secure their own profit. As their power wanes, they shed more blood and beat the drums of war ever louder. Once again, when the exploitation of labor was not enough, they set their sights on the blood of the people. Once again, they have surrounded our region with a ring of fire. Through the genocide in Palestine, they have slaughtered thousands of people—children and the elderly alike—to this day. The perpetrators of all these attacks and massacres are planning to gather at the NATO Summit in Ankara on July 7–8 to prepare for new massacres and to repair their crumbling walls. To resist imperialism and thwart every plan of attack against the peoples of the world, to be the voice of the people being slaughtered in Palestine, Syria, Iran, and Lebanon, and to hold their collaborators accountable, let us unite and take to the streets on May 1.
They want us to accept deaths—which they call ‘accidents’—under precarious working conditions. By raising wages that perpetuate destitution, by legitimizing poverty, and by threatening unemployment, they are forcing our people to remain silent in the face of oppression. They are setting their sights on our food and our bread. They are doing everything in their power to darken our children’s future.
This does not stem from the ‘nature of bad leaders’; this is the very essence of imperialism, the inevitable character of exploitative systems. They claim we have no choice but to accept this system that condemns us to hunger, destitution, and oppression, and they demand it of us. We say NO. We refuse to accept this poverty and oppression imposed for the sake of a handful of the wealthy, nor the fate dictated by those in power. To shout this out, we will stand up for what is ours—our land, our labor, and our future—with all our fury on May 1st.
We call on you to join us on May 1st to protest, block, and prevent the implementation of new laws and projects designed to destroy the forests we breathe in, our land, our trees, our water, our history, and our future. They arrested and imprisoned those who stood up for their land so their voices would not be heard. They erected barricades to shield corporations from the people’s anger and met the people with tear gas and batons. This is the case almost everywhere in the world. Let us be in the streets on May 1st to be the voice of the land, all living beings in nature, and all those suffering oppression worldwide!
“We are not bound by this system where new women are added to the list of those murdered every day—whether at home or on the streets—and where the State protects the perpetrators. Let’s take to the streets on May 1st for our rights, for our freedom, to remember the women who have been murdered, and to demand accountability!
Let’s take to the streets to unite the voices of young people—the true owners of a future being dragged into darkness—with the resounding voices of workers. Let’s take to the streets on May 1st to raise our demand for autonomous, academic, and democratic universities in institutions now under the control of appointed trustees and ruled by fascist repression!
Taksim for May Day in Istanbul!
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first May Day celebrations in Turkey! We commemorate our first May Day martyr, Mehmet Kocadağ, who was killed on that day in 1976 when the working class poured into Taksim Square. We insist on being in Taksim to honor our martyrs—those killed in the massacre that took place a year later, and those whose names are etched into May 1st history through the struggle to reclaim Taksim.
Despite being declared a ‘restricted area,’ Taksim Square is the battleground of the working class. Drawing strength and consciousness from history, we view Taksim Square as the May 1st space. We say ‘No’ to the seizure of our rights through tyranny.
Let’s stand together to defend our history. Let’s enter the working class’s square arm in arm. Let’s shout our marches and slogans together.
LONG LIVE 1st OF MAY!
LONG LIVE THE IMMORTAL HEROES OF THE STRUGGLE!
LET’S UNITE IN TAKSIM, LET’S MARCH TO TAKSIM!
DOWN WITH IMPERIALISM AND ALL ITS LACKEYS!
LONG LIVE THE UNITY AND STRUGGLE OF THE WORKING CLASS!
