Protests against NATO
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Protests against the summit of NATO, which took place on 28-29 June in Istanbul, increased throughout whole June in order to show that imperialist murderers can not entry into our country in such a comfortable way and to obstruct the summit. Protests reached its peak during the summit's days.

The resistance against NATO's summit also resulted in the anti-imperialist, antifascist, revolutionary and communist forces being able to come together and fight together. Already early in May, 112 trade unions, associations and revolutionary organizations met and founded the "Union against NATO and Bush" in Istanbul which spread to many other cities.

However, the government started terrorizing NATO opponents already weeks ago in order to protect NATO and their imperialist masters. By attacking pro-tests, arrests, house raids by the police and mass arrests on the streets the government tried to frighten the NATO opponents. People living next to the place where the summit took place were controlled for "security". The employees of the state TV station TRT which is next to the place where the summit took place were banished.

The area where the summit took place was called "NATO Valley" and was cut off completely during the summit. Roads were closed off as well. The tram, the underground and the ferries connecting the two sides of Istanbul were out of use. Some regions, including all airports, were declared as "regions with risk factor zero".

With more than 25 000 police men, soldiers, thousands of CIA-agents, NATO Special Security Units and NATO aeroplanes the killers tried to protect themselves.

But in vain! All these steps could not hinder that the squares and streets of Turkey and Northern Kurdistan echoed with the call: occupants, murderers and torturers will be driven into a corner in Istanbul! There were protests against the summit all over the country. From Istanbul to Amed, from Ankara to Malatya, from Izmir to Bursa, a lot of activities took place in every town such as concerts, panel discussions, seminars, collecting signatures, distributing leaflets, agitation on the streets, actions on the streets, demonstrations, meetings, press releases, barricade fights and armed actions in order to develop the anti-imperialist consciousness of the people and to include them in the active resistance against NATO.

The NATO opponents demonstrated also at night with torches and enlightened the poor districts against the darkness of NATO. The police's attacks on these demonstrations were answered from June 16 on in the district Gazi of Istanbul by setting barricades and having street fights. Apart from closing the streets and attacking the police's tanks with Molotov cocktails and opposing the police attacks, MLCP and DHKP-C militants carried out militant activities.

The activities of the Platform against Occupation and NATO in Adana and Mersin which took place on June 19 and the activities on June 21 by ESP (Socialist Platform of the Oppressed) in front of the military base Incirlik which is one of the US` base in our country, were attacked by the police and army. There were big fights between the NATO opponents with ESP on one side against the police and army forces on the other side. A lot of people from ESP were injured and 33 people were arrested.

The final round of the resistance against NATO started on June 26 in Ankara with protests against Bush. 5000 NATO opponents joined the meeting at Sihhiye Square (Ankara) organized by the "Platform against Bush, NATO and Imperialism of Ankara" in order to protest against NATO`s summit and against Bush who came right on that day to Ankara. At the end of the meeting, which was joined by revolutionary groups, trade unions, political parties and democratic mass organizations, ESP attacked the police barricades and showed the way how to act against NATO in Istanbul. The people of ESP had come days before to Ankara and worked hard to enlighten people in every district of Ankara. They also impressed with their activities, discipline and determination at the Ankara meeting.

On the same day, ESP organized demonstrations in the districts Maltepe, Nurtepe and Gebze of Istanbul closing off the streets with the slogans and banners "Killer Bush, get lost!" and "No passage to NATO!".

The unity step of the Union against NATO and Bush was followed by a meeting of all anti-imperialist, antifascist forces in early June where they decided to work together from June 26-29. The Union against NATO and Bush, BAK and the Committees Against Occupation came together and organized a "Big Meeting Against Occupation, NATO and Bush" on June 27 in KadikF6y, Istanbul joined by more than 50.000 people.

In the early morning of June 28, the summit's first day, 2500 people started to march from the district Okmeydani towards MecidiyekF6y. A fight began when the police closed off the streets and attacked them with gas bombs. The demonstrators answered the police attacks by throwing stones, with cudgels, catapults and Molotov cocktails. The people pulled themselves back to Okmeydani, established barricades there and had a fight lasting for more than one hour. It was obvious that the protesters had been prepared for police attacks and the attacks were repulsed several times. Revolutionary forces such as ESP, SDP , HD6C, DHP, Alinteri, Partizan and MFCcadele Birligi took actively part in the fights. ESP joined the protest with 700 people and had the biggest and most disciplined bloc. While many police men and protesters were injured, a lot of people were arrested.

At 10 am on the same day 150 people who were a part of the Union against NATO and Bush met at MecidiyekF6y and had a fight with the police. Although the police used gas bombs to scatter the mass, the crowd managed to come together again and continued fighting with the police.

In the evening of the same day, ESP closed off the streets, hindered the traffic in Gazi and AlibeykF6y and demonstrated with the banner "No Passage to NATO!" and torches. With an action in Gazi, MLCP militants welcomed the resistance in Okmeydani and called for strengthening the resistance against the NATO summit.

In spite of arrests, among them 28 from ESP who had been detained in the morning in AlibeykF6y, on June 29 1000 NATO opponents met in front of the Galatasary College in Taksim to protest against the police attacks and welcomed the resistance in Okmeydani. At the protest which had been organized by the Union against NATO and Bush, slogans such as "Release of all arrested people!", "Long live our resistance at Okmeydani!" and "No to NATO, no passage for the killers!" were shouted frequently. The participants of the protest were ESP, SGD , SDP, EHP , Partizan, ILPS, D6zgFCr-Der, Kaldirac, SODAP , Alinteri, TFCm IGD, B DSP and the trade union Limter-Is . At the end of the protest the police attacked the mass with gas bombs and rubber bullets.

After this protest, toiling employees from KESK met at 12.30 pm in front of the Galatasaray College to protest against the NATO summit. Almost 500 people joined the protest. Also different groups like Limter-Is, Halkevleri , Kaldirac, SDP and EMEP supported this protest action.

On the same day, 150 TKP/ML, MKP and TIKB militants set barricades on the streets of Okmeydani.

The toiling women and intellectuals took an important part in the resistance against NATO with their own protests. The trade unions KESK, Limter- Is and Tekstil-Sen protested against the NATO summit and the police attacks at Okmeydani with their activities and press releases.

FESK (Armed Forces of the Poor and Oppressed) bombed NATO`s sponsor companies, the airport of Istanbul that was said to be a region of "risk factor zero", the hotel in which Bush should have stayed and buildings of NATO. In the declarations of FESK that were sent by e-mail to the press they assumed responsibility for the activities following:

- In the night of June 13 and in the morning of June 14, FESK bombed sponsors of the NATO summit such as the Is Bank, HSBC bank and some branches of Disbank in Ankara-Ulus, the Garanti Bank, the Is Bank`s branch in Altunizade and the Ulusoy bus depot in Merter.

- On June 24, two days before Bush`s arrival, FESK bombed the hotel in which he should have stayed.

- On June 25, FESK bombed the car park of the terminal for outgoing flights at the Istanbul airport (one day before the NATO presidents arrived at Istanbul airport).

- On June 29, FESK bombed the Pool building of NATO in Ankara and the National Ministry of Defence's depot for fuel supply.

- On June 29, FESK bombed an empty aeroplane in the same minutes when defence minister Donald Rumsfeld was leaving the Istanbul airport.

In its Declaration no. 35 FESK stated referring to its last activity:

"Those who bomb the houses and weddings in Iraq and Palestine, who try to wring Cuba`s and Venezuela`s necks, to make the people of the world suffer terribly and try to enslave humanity; the responsibles for Ebu Ghraib, GuantE1namo and the f-type-isolation-prisons, you all must know that you have to pay for all and it is not you but the peoples of the world who will win! You will be defeated!

As you brought the war to every place and to the houses of the poor and oppressed, so will the justice of the oppressed follow you to everywhere.

Our second bombing of the airport that you declared for being of "risk factor zero" for the NATO summit is just a small example for that. We are everywhere, because the peoples are everywhere. We will win...!"

 

 

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Protests against NATO
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Protests against the summit of NATO, which took place on 28-29 June in Istanbul, increased throughout whole June in order to show that imperialist murderers can not entry into our country in such a comfortable way and to obstruct the summit. Protests reached its peak during the summit's days.

The resistance against NATO's summit also resulted in the anti-imperialist, antifascist, revolutionary and communist forces being able to come together and fight together. Already early in May, 112 trade unions, associations and revolutionary organizations met and founded the "Union against NATO and Bush" in Istanbul which spread to many other cities.

However, the government started terrorizing NATO opponents already weeks ago in order to protect NATO and their imperialist masters. By attacking pro-tests, arrests, house raids by the police and mass arrests on the streets the government tried to frighten the NATO opponents. People living next to the place where the summit took place were controlled for "security". The employees of the state TV station TRT which is next to the place where the summit took place were banished.

The area where the summit took place was called "NATO Valley" and was cut off completely during the summit. Roads were closed off as well. The tram, the underground and the ferries connecting the two sides of Istanbul were out of use. Some regions, including all airports, were declared as "regions with risk factor zero".

With more than 25 000 police men, soldiers, thousands of CIA-agents, NATO Special Security Units and NATO aeroplanes the killers tried to protect themselves.

But in vain! All these steps could not hinder that the squares and streets of Turkey and Northern Kurdistan echoed with the call: occupants, murderers and torturers will be driven into a corner in Istanbul! There were protests against the summit all over the country. From Istanbul to Amed, from Ankara to Malatya, from Izmir to Bursa, a lot of activities took place in every town such as concerts, panel discussions, seminars, collecting signatures, distributing leaflets, agitation on the streets, actions on the streets, demonstrations, meetings, press releases, barricade fights and armed actions in order to develop the anti-imperialist consciousness of the people and to include them in the active resistance against NATO.

The NATO opponents demonstrated also at night with torches and enlightened the poor districts against the darkness of NATO. The police's attacks on these demonstrations were answered from June 16 on in the district Gazi of Istanbul by setting barricades and having street fights. Apart from closing the streets and attacking the police's tanks with Molotov cocktails and opposing the police attacks, MLCP and DHKP-C militants carried out militant activities.

The activities of the Platform against Occupation and NATO in Adana and Mersin which took place on June 19 and the activities on June 21 by ESP (Socialist Platform of the Oppressed) in front of the military base Incirlik which is one of the US` base in our country, were attacked by the police and army. There were big fights between the NATO opponents with ESP on one side against the police and army forces on the other side. A lot of people from ESP were injured and 33 people were arrested.

The final round of the resistance against NATO started on June 26 in Ankara with protests against Bush. 5000 NATO opponents joined the meeting at Sihhiye Square (Ankara) organized by the "Platform against Bush, NATO and Imperialism of Ankara" in order to protest against NATO`s summit and against Bush who came right on that day to Ankara. At the end of the meeting, which was joined by revolutionary groups, trade unions, political parties and democratic mass organizations, ESP attacked the police barricades and showed the way how to act against NATO in Istanbul. The people of ESP had come days before to Ankara and worked hard to enlighten people in every district of Ankara. They also impressed with their activities, discipline and determination at the Ankara meeting.

On the same day, ESP organized demonstrations in the districts Maltepe, Nurtepe and Gebze of Istanbul closing off the streets with the slogans and banners "Killer Bush, get lost!" and "No passage to NATO!".

The unity step of the Union against NATO and Bush was followed by a meeting of all anti-imperialist, antifascist forces in early June where they decided to work together from June 26-29. The Union against NATO and Bush, BAK and the Committees Against Occupation came together and organized a "Big Meeting Against Occupation, NATO and Bush" on June 27 in KadikF6y, Istanbul joined by more than 50.000 people.

In the early morning of June 28, the summit's first day, 2500 people started to march from the district Okmeydani towards MecidiyekF6y. A fight began when the police closed off the streets and attacked them with gas bombs. The demonstrators answered the police attacks by throwing stones, with cudgels, catapults and Molotov cocktails. The people pulled themselves back to Okmeydani, established barricades there and had a fight lasting for more than one hour. It was obvious that the protesters had been prepared for police attacks and the attacks were repulsed several times. Revolutionary forces such as ESP, SDP , HD6C, DHP, Alinteri, Partizan and MFCcadele Birligi took actively part in the fights. ESP joined the protest with 700 people and had the biggest and most disciplined bloc. While many police men and protesters were injured, a lot of people were arrested.

At 10 am on the same day 150 people who were a part of the Union against NATO and Bush met at MecidiyekF6y and had a fight with the police. Although the police used gas bombs to scatter the mass, the crowd managed to come together again and continued fighting with the police.

In the evening of the same day, ESP closed off the streets, hindered the traffic in Gazi and AlibeykF6y and demonstrated with the banner "No Passage to NATO!" and torches. With an action in Gazi, MLCP militants welcomed the resistance in Okmeydani and called for strengthening the resistance against the NATO summit.

In spite of arrests, among them 28 from ESP who had been detained in the morning in AlibeykF6y, on June 29 1000 NATO opponents met in front of the Galatasary College in Taksim to protest against the police attacks and welcomed the resistance in Okmeydani. At the protest which had been organized by the Union against NATO and Bush, slogans such as "Release of all arrested people!", "Long live our resistance at Okmeydani!" and "No to NATO, no passage for the killers!" were shouted frequently. The participants of the protest were ESP, SGD , SDP, EHP , Partizan, ILPS, D6zgFCr-Der, Kaldirac, SODAP , Alinteri, TFCm IGD, B DSP and the trade union Limter-Is . At the end of the protest the police attacked the mass with gas bombs and rubber bullets.

After this protest, toiling employees from KESK met at 12.30 pm in front of the Galatasaray College to protest against the NATO summit. Almost 500 people joined the protest. Also different groups like Limter-Is, Halkevleri , Kaldirac, SDP and EMEP supported this protest action.

On the same day, 150 TKP/ML, MKP and TIKB militants set barricades on the streets of Okmeydani.

The toiling women and intellectuals took an important part in the resistance against NATO with their own protests. The trade unions KESK, Limter- Is and Tekstil-Sen protested against the NATO summit and the police attacks at Okmeydani with their activities and press releases.

FESK (Armed Forces of the Poor and Oppressed) bombed NATO`s sponsor companies, the airport of Istanbul that was said to be a region of "risk factor zero", the hotel in which Bush should have stayed and buildings of NATO. In the declarations of FESK that were sent by e-mail to the press they assumed responsibility for the activities following:

- In the night of June 13 and in the morning of June 14, FESK bombed sponsors of the NATO summit such as the Is Bank, HSBC bank and some branches of Disbank in Ankara-Ulus, the Garanti Bank, the Is Bank`s branch in Altunizade and the Ulusoy bus depot in Merter.

- On June 24, two days before Bush`s arrival, FESK bombed the hotel in which he should have stayed.

- On June 25, FESK bombed the car park of the terminal for outgoing flights at the Istanbul airport (one day before the NATO presidents arrived at Istanbul airport).

- On June 29, FESK bombed the Pool building of NATO in Ankara and the National Ministry of Defence's depot for fuel supply.

- On June 29, FESK bombed an empty aeroplane in the same minutes when defence minister Donald Rumsfeld was leaving the Istanbul airport.

In its Declaration no. 35 FESK stated referring to its last activity:

"Those who bomb the houses and weddings in Iraq and Palestine, who try to wring Cuba`s and Venezuela`s necks, to make the people of the world suffer terribly and try to enslave humanity; the responsibles for Ebu Ghraib, GuantE1namo and the f-type-isolation-prisons, you all must know that you have to pay for all and it is not you but the peoples of the world who will win! You will be defeated!

As you brought the war to every place and to the houses of the poor and oppressed, so will the justice of the oppressed follow you to everywhere.

Our second bombing of the airport that you declared for being of "risk factor zero" for the NATO summit is just a small example for that. We are everywhere, because the peoples are everywhere. We will win...!"