Preparations by the Tsipras-Kamenos government are under way in order to receive Erdoğan in a visit that is a provocation against the thousands of imprisoned and persecuted turkish militants, the Kurds and other minorities in the turkish state, the political refugees and those who stand by their side in solidarity.
It is a provocation, at the very moment when Erdoğan, after the April referendum of violence and electoral fraud and despite the overwhelmingly negative result for him, is trying to establish a more authoritarian, one-man bonapartist regime. Let him have it. The economic crisis, the constantly rising inflation, the massive workers’ strikes, the hunger strikes of political prisoners, the financial scandals, the rage against the proven relations between the turkish state and ISIS, and other fundamentalist groups as well, shows us that he is not at all that almighty. Political crisis is lurking. His only allies are the police, the judicial system and the Grey Wolves of MHP. His only weapon is the OHAL state of emergency.
It is a provocation, at the very moment when the turkish government is unleashing a pogrom of persecutions against academics, civil servants and its political rivals in general. This is happening under the pretext of purging the supporters of Erdoğan‘s former partner, Gülen, after the failed coup of July 2016. The real target is the left and everyone who stands critical towards the regime.
It is a provocation, at the very moment when the turkish state has reignited, during the past two years, the bloody and devastating war in the kurdish cities, a never ending war.
It is a provocation, at the very moment when its involvement in Syria is constantly upgraded, sometimes by the side of USA-EU and sometimes by the side of Russia-Iran.
The greek state is very consistent in its policy of cultivating the antiturkish hatred and covers its strategic goals under the pretext of “one-sided turkish aggressiveness”. In its attempt to build the reactionary axis among Greece-Cyprus-Israel-Egypt and in the reactionary, from both sides, dispute over the EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone), Turkey is the enemy. Nevertheless, in some burning issues, there is an absolute agreement on how to act.
Both the greek and turkish state are cooperating in the oppression of political refugees and militants. The nine militants who were labelled as terrorists, tortured and deprived of their fundamental rights and imprisoned in a revengeful and unjustified way are the most recent example.
Both states are cooperating in the strangulation of the kurdish national self-determination. The surrender of Öcalan is the most telling proof. Sharing the same point of view, the greek confronts its own minorities the very same way: denial and oppression.
Both states are cooperating to repel refugees and immigrants. Especially after the last year’s deal between the EU and Turkey, the Aegean Sea was turned into a wet tomb for thousands of souls.
They are cooperating as the long arms of imperialism in the region, most of times as allies in the framework of NATO. Their victims are the peoples of Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. They are competing in military build-up, that threatens to set our neighbourhood in flames.
Erdoğan‘s visit will find us united with our class brothers and sisters from Turkey and Kurdistan against authoritarianism, militarism and nationalism on both sides of the Aegean Sea. Neither in our demonstrations, nor anywhere in the streets, is there place for nationalist groups that will probably try to spit out their intoxicating chauvinist, racist and islamophobic poison. Our duty is to secure the internationalist, anti-war and antiimperialist character of our demonstrations.
-COMMON INTERNATIONALIST STRUGGLE IN GREECE-KURDISTAN-TURKEY BEYOND THE BORDERS OF THE BOURGEOIS NATIONAL STATES
-AGAINST THE STATE OF EMERGENCY AND THE POLITICAL PERSECUTIONS BY THE ERDOĞAN REGIME
-AGAINST MILITARISM, IMPERIALISM, THE DECLARED AND PHONEY WARS
-FOR THE RIGHT OF SELF-DETERMINATION OF ALL MINORITIES IN GREECE AND TURKEY