Mayday is the day when the war between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan reaches its peak and shows itself most clearly. It is the moment when the working class and labourers as well as the armed forces of the fascist dictatorship fight against each other on the streets. It is the day when the dictatorship's attacks carried out with tanks, gas bombs, bullets and truncheons, is answered by the revolutionary front with stones and Molotov cocktails, when the revolutionary front with its revolutionary will and braveness frees the streets. The fascist dictatorship, however, scared from the working class` union, struggle and solidarity, took extraordinary security measures to hinder the working class and its vanguards go on the streets.
Despite all the bans, Mayday, which has been forbidden in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan, has been celebrated this year with enthusiasm and suitable to its origin. In Ankara 10.000 labourers gathered at Sihhiye Square fighting off the provocations and attacks by the police celebrating Mayday with enthusiasm. In Izmir, 50.000 labourers came together to show their power. The members of the students` union Genc-Sen , who gathered in the early morning hours to join the demonstration, were attacked by a group of fascists. In Adana 10.000 labourers gathered for the Mayday celebration and dispersed when it was over, however, they were attacked by the police. Mayday was also celebrated in Kurdistan although having been banned. In Amed 5000 Kurdish workers and labourers came together to celebrate Mayday. During the celebrations the Social Security and General Health Insurance law was also protested and the demand for a general strike and general resistance raised.
However, on Mayday the workers and labourers throughout Turkey and Northern Kurdistan were in Istanbul with their hearts, they were thinking of their class brothers, because there was a state of war in Istanbul.
Istanbul-Taksim: the fear from those called "the team of the feet"
There is no doubt that the heart of Mayday was beating at Taksim. Taksim Square, which had been banned to the workers after in 1977 the fascist dictatorship opened the fire on 500.000 workers and labourers and killed 34 of them, had been conquered last year with street clashes.
Last year's achievement became the common address for the union confederations and the revolutionary forces this year. The unions step to overcome the previous dispersion of the revolutionary and progressive forces and their decision to celebrate Mayday at Taksim together with 500.000 workers and labourers made the fascist dictatorship frighten from the beginning. While the state's prime minister Tayyip Erdogan explained his opinion and his hostility against the working class with the words "If the feet* become the head, this will lead to mayhem." Istanbul governor had even announced a long time before to ban Taksim Square for the celebrations and use force. 5000 police men and tanks were deployed from other cities of the country to be deployed in Istanbul on Mayday.
The three big confederations DISK , Turk-Is and KESK , that had planned to march to Taksim from 3 different directions, changed this decision a day before and declared to gather in front of the DISK office to march to Taksim from one direction.
The workers and labourers who had started to gather in front of the DISK office in the middle of the night to participate in the Mayday celebrations were brutally attacked by the police at 6.30am. The police even threw gas bombs into the DISK office and injured many people.
On Mayday, Istanbul took a state of occupation. While 66 primary schools were closed on Mayday, the ferry service was cancelled and there were no trams and buses around Taksim.
In addition to the 20.000 police men that were deployed at Taksim to prevent anyone entering the square surrounded by barricades, army units were positioned, too. Due to the attacks, the unions declared that they would cancel the march as there were no safe conditions. After the march was cancelled, the mass surrounded Taksim Square from different directions with the slogan "Everywhere is Taksim" and clashed with the police throughout the day. Nearly 5000 gas bombs were thrown on the masses that resisted against the force of 10.000s of police men, tanks and bullets; more than 2500 protestors were arrested. The police, that became totally weak against the red will of Mayday, even punched tourists and threw gas bombs at the emergency section of Sisli Etfal Hospital and on journalists.
The will shown by the communists, revolutionaries, workers and labourers to conquer Taksim, the square that was watered with the workers` blood, and to destroy the ban on Mayday, will scare the bourgeoisie from now on even more. The united force of the workers and labourers that were called "feet troop" by the prime minister was shown once again. The fascist dictatorship will experience the Mayday nightmare from now on. The general strike and general resistance for which the conditions become more and more ripe every day will be realised for sure. The "feet" will become the head, and this will lead to mayhem. The fascist dictatorship will end up at history's garbage dump together with the capitalist system that it tries to defend and that is destroyed every day a bit more. We, the Marxist Leninist Communists, will continue with their braveness displayed before and during Mayday.