Parliamentary candidates of ‘The This Social Order Must Change Platform’, founded after the Turkish government’s unlawful ban on the Communist Party of Turkey’s (TKP) running for the elections on June 24, met with students on March 13 from Istanbul University, who were indicted for distributing anti-NATO leaflets and were expelled from their dormitories.
Istanbul’s first electoral district candidate Aydemir Güler, the second electoral district candidate Orhan Aydın and the third electoral district candidate Atakan Boyoğlu came together with the students.
Talking on behalf of the students, Deniz Karakuş stated “Two days before the protest for solidarity with Palestine, our friends were physically attacked by fascist gangs. Puppets of the government launched an investigation against the students saying ‘Israel out’”.
‘THE GOVERNMENT LIES TO THE YOUTH’
Candidate Atakan Boyoğlupointed out that this unlawfulness imposed upon the Istanbul University students explicitly shows the hypocrisy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) against the youth.
Underlining that it is hypocrisy to cut students’ scholarships because of their political activities while reducing the age of candidacy so that young people can participate in politics, Boyoğlu said the AKP’s hypocrisy continues in all spheres.
"We witness their hypocrisy in the Palestinian question via this incident. The prosecution against the students protesting for solidarity with Palestine is another example of this hypocrisy," Boyoğlu noted.
‘THE YOUTH IS A PART OF THE WORKING CLASS’
Aydemir Güler from The This Social Order Must Change Platform began his speech by underlining that the youth is a part of the working class under the current conditions of capitalism.
"Once upon a time working was an obstacle to education. Yet today people have to work to have an education. While the student youth was deemed as ‘non-class’ in the past, it is now a part of the working class under the current conditions of capitalism," Güler stated.
Addressing the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's intimidation ordering ‘the Turkish government to not to give the right to education for the communist youth’, Aydemir Güler said, "In the last unemployment data, there is a concept called ‘idle’ in addition to youth unemployment. People in this category neither study nor work. This circle is being tried to be tightened with the concept of ‘idle population’ because unemployment generates too much pressure on capitalism in certain issues such as working, wage and social rights."
‘SOLUTION IS TO RAISE SOCIALISM’S FLAG’
"If today is a starting point, we must be astonished to see where we stand now on June 25 [after the elections]. Unorganized state of people may cause many troubles; so we must come a long way to organize them," Güler noted.
Orhan Aydın (L) and Aydemir Güler.
"The AKP’s steps taken about Israeli question are not a sustainable ‘joke’. On the one hand, the government condemns Israel, but on the other hand, it maintains all kinds of agreements with Israel, confiscating the right to protest it. Thus, there is no sustainability of a possible punishment for the students here. These are the examples reminding us how immediately we must change this social order," Güler concluded.
AYDIN: YOU ARE NOT ALONE
Istanbul’s second electoral district candidate Orhan Aydın said, "Obscurantism shows its hypocrisy not only about the Israeli question but also about workers, labourers and the youth of this country through all policies it follows."
Underlining that the university students indicted for their political activities are not alone, Aydın stated, "They [the Turkish government] are seen in public and lie to people, pursuing certain hypocritical policies behind the scene. They promote Islamization of all educational system and declare all people opposing their reactionary policies as ‘enemy’…This order has been decayed now and it is time to liquidate it! You are not alone. I think we will be able to destroy these walls together by not mincing matters on the streets."
The administration of Istanbul University had launched an investigation against Communist Youth of Turkey (TKG) members attacked by a group of fascists during an anti-NATO campaign on March 13. 22 TKG members were taken into custody by the police for a scandalous reason: the police report alleged that TKG members attacked the fascists, chanting slogans containing swear.
