01 May / Internationale Bulletin / No. 139

As last year the AKP -Dictatorship banned the 1st May celebrations on Taksim square in Istanbul and on Kızılay square in Ankara this year as well. This was not enough for it. It declared its counter-revolutionary war. In Istanbul alone it let 40.000 policemen attack. Taksim and its soroundings as well as  Kızılay were turned into theatres of war. Furthermore they attacked in  İzmir and elsewhere.

The dictatorship's police used chemical gas, tanks, water mixed with chemicals and plastic bullets. Thousands of those participating in the 1st May resistance were injured.

In spite of the dictatorship's attacks ten thousands of workers, labouring people, students and women streamed to the banned places. They fought the police forces, which were equipped with chemical gas and water cannon. Particularly in Istanbul the police forces were repulsed. In some places policemen were taken hostages.

Ten thousands also participated in cities as  İzmir and Mersin in the 1st May. Comparing it with the last year the 1st May celebrations in Kurdish cities as Amed and Mardin had a more massive character.
1st May was celebrated on a large scale in middle-anatolian cities as  Eskişehir, Kütahya and Kayseri, at the Black Sea coast in  Zonguldak, Samsun, Rize and Fındıklı; in Aegean cities as  Mugla and Aydın; in worker cities as Antep and Adana, in Antakya, where the June-Uprising was supported powerfully, in eastern cities as Erzincan and Elazığ; and in dozens of other cities.

The revolutionary and antifascist forces kept up their will-struggle against the fascist dictatorship's Taksim and  Kızılay bans this year as well. As his predecessors  Erdoğan tries to let fall into oblivion the death of 37 of our comrades on the 1st May 1977. He attempts to break the history consciousness of the workers. In addition the workers faced  Erdoğan's attacks with militant resistance and challenged him through their will-struggle. Finally it was important to reconquer those squares, which were also the squares of the June-Uprising, in order to force back the  Erdoğan dictatorship.

The AKP-Union HAK-İŞ, the AKP union of officials Memur-Sen (in Kayseri and Amed); the collaborating leadership of Türk-İş Kadıköy annd Tandoğan tried to weaken the 1st May by their division attacks. They suffered a defeat as they only managed to persuade the fascist Workers' Party.
The progressive workers' and officials' unions as DİSK , KESK , TMMOB , TTB insisted in the realization of the 1st May celebrations on Taksim Square, they declared to support the revolutionary and progressive forces and to insist on Taksim Square the coming year as well.

Our party MLKP continued its revolutionary tradition. On Taksim and  Kızıla it could be found in the front lines, carrying out heavy resistance. In the evening hours it attacked police stations together with PKK and MKP .

Our party MLKP, TKP-ML, MKP, DHKP-C, parts of HDP as BDP , ESP , SDP , EMEP , SYKP, besides other antifascist forces as ÖDP, Halkevleri fought shoulder to shoulder in these resistances.
The last year the 1st May was celebrated despite the fascist dictatorship's ban all over the country with large protests offering heavy resistance.

The battle for Taksim was a reason for the break out of the June-Uprising.
This year the 1st May was realized with new strength acquired during the June Uprising. It was celebrated in the fights to conquer Taksim. The revolutionary and antifascist forces already have proclaimed their will to conquer Taksim next year offering resistance in countrywide protests.