The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) has organised rallies in several cities across the country, to protest the NATO Summit held in the capital city of Ankara. The demonstration in Ankara was brutally attacked by the security forces and over 130 communists were detained. Communist and workers parties from all around the world issued solidarity statements with TKP and a common statement has been issued to express solidarity.
Internationalist solidarity with TKP
A number of parties sent messages to TKP, expressing their solidarity and demanding the release of those detained on 5 July. These parties include the Communist Party of Greece, the Communist Party of the Workers of Spain, the Communist Party of Venezuela, the Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism (PADS), the Palestinian Communist Party, the Communist Party of Poland, the Workers' Party of Ireland, the New Communist Party of Netherlands, the Communist Party USA, the Jordanian Communist Party, the Communist Party - Germany, the Communist Workers Platform of USA, the Party for Socialism and Liberation (USA), the Communist Youth of Sweden and the Communists of Serbia.
Common statement
The following common statement was issued on July 7 and it was signed by many parties. The text is open to further signatures.
We, the undersigned Communist and Workers’ Parties, strongly condemn the repression carried out by the Turkish authorities against the demonstration organized by the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) in Ankara in protest of the NATO Summit.
The violent police intervention, the injuries inflicted on demonstrators, and the detention of 145 communists including one member of the Central Committee of TKP and 8 members of the Party Council, constitute an unacceptable attack on the right to organize and protest. The sweeping bans imposed on demonstrations and public gatherings, which effectively turned the Turkish capital into a closed city ahead of the NATO Summit, reveal once again that NATO’s war agenda goes hand in hand with the restriction of political rights and freedoms.
The attempt to silence the communists cannot conceal the truth: NATO is an aggressive imperialist alliance that has brought war, occupation, destruction and suffering to peoples across the world. Those who raise their voices against militarization, imperialist interventions and wars cannot be intimidated by repression.
We express our full solidarity with the Communist Party of Turkey, with all detained TKP members, and with everyone who stood up against the NATO Summit. We demand the immediate release of all communists in custody, the dropping of all charges, and an end to every measure restricting all anti-NATO political activity.
Hands off TKP! Hands off all communist and anti-imperialist militants!
Undersigned communist and workers’ parties:
Parties of the SolidNet list:
Communist Party of Albania
Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism
Party of Labour of Austria
Communist Party of Brazil
Communist Party of Bohemia & Moravia
German Communist Party
Communist Party of Greece
Hungarian Workers’ Party
Tudeh Party of Iran
Communist Party of Luxembourg
Communist Party of Mexico
New Communist Party of Netherlands
Communist Party of Norway
Palestinian Communist Party
Portuguese Communist Party
Communist Party of Russian Federation
Communists of Serbia
Communists of Catalonia
Communist Party of the Workers of Spain
Syrian Communist Party
Communist Party of Ukraine
Communist Party USA
Other parties:
The Revolutionary Communist Party of France
Communist Workers’ Platform USA
Party for Socialism and Liberation – USA