Turkey - March 28, 2025

Political crisis in the country

Long live the eruption of tens of thousands exploited onto the streets against the hated anti-worker and colonialist government of Erdogan and his brutally repressive regime!

For weeks, massive protests have been taking place against the Erdogan government in Turkey. This massive struggle, with tens of thousands in the streets, was sparked after the mayor of Istanbul, a member of Turkey's current second-largest political party, the CHP (Republican People's Party), was barred from running for president in the upcoming elections by Erdogan's decision. But not only that —this politician Imamoglu— was stripped of his university degree (making him ineligible for public office) and arrested.
For years, Erdogan has decided personally  what can or can't be done at all levels of government. He makes up any charges that suit him. In this case, he has accused Imamoglu of being "connected to organizations that promote street terrorism" and of "corruption." The state apparatus (including, and especially, the judiciary and the armed forces) answers to Erdogan. After the 2016 coup attempt, a purge was carried out in public officials, judges, and the armed forces to place everything under the control of this true autocrat. Furthermore, the political party that answers to the Turkish generals, the MHP, is part of his government.

The marches were demanding the end to the persecution to Imamoglu, also raising slogans in defense of democracy against the autocratic Erdogan's covertness; the protests were set against the backdrop of the terrible economic conditions the masses are enduring. The country's economic situation has reached a crisis, aggravated by energy dependence and the high cost of inputs (oil, gas, etc.). This anti-worker Erdogan government is doing nothing but unloading this crisis on the working class, especially its most exploited sectors: the Kurds and the Syrian refugees, who have no rights.
The workers have been seeking to strike back the Erdogan government by taking advantage of these democratic demonstrations, because their unions are not organizations capable of waging this political struggle against the government, failing to organize the broad masses that have come out to fight, as they leave the most exploited sectors of the working class to their own.
Specifically, the marches that have been taking place directly affect this regime, which has played a key counterrevolutionary role throughout the region, especially in Syria. There, it not only controls part of the territory with its occupying army, but also through the generals of the Sunni bourgeoisie, starting with the current president, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the new regent of the Syrian protectorate. Turkey is totally intertwined with the Damascus government.

The masses in Turkey are the best allies of the working class in the entire Middle East, because the Turkish working class is part of the Middle Eastern working class, starting with its most exploited sectors: the more than 4 million Syrian refugees who do the worst jobs as slave labor without any rights, and the 20 million Kurds whom Turkey oppresses with brutal repression.
That's why Ocalan's Kurdish Stalinist policy is criminal, calling for surrender at a time when the streets have been taken by the masses fighting against the ironclad regime. Erdogan's response was harsh repression and the arrest of 2,000 people... and yet the demonstrations are going on. The youth are the vanguard; the universities are occupied, but behind them comes the deep-rooted labor movement, which is ignored by the entire union bureaucracy.

Long live the struggle of the Turkish working class, the vanguard of the Middle East! There rest the forces of the Syrian revolution, allied with the Palestinian resistance! Enough of colonialist autocrat Erdogan!
Turkey out of the Syrian nation! For the defeat of Zionism and its genocidal offensive against Syria and Palestine! All occupying troops out of the Syrian nation!

The Syrian working class is part of the Turkish working class. It's the same working class throughout the region. We must establish refugee committees to fight for housing and supplies, worker committees in Turkey to organize all sectors, including Syrians and Kurds, to fight for workers' demands, to organize protests against Erdogan, and protests against Erdogan's man in Syria: Abu Mohamed al-Jolani!
Only by expropriating the nation's businessmen and plunderers will we recover the people's wealth for the people. Only the working class can achieve this by uniting the same demand that runs through Turkey, Syria, and the entire Middle East: Bread, freedom, housing, and dignity!