1. July 15th coup attempt has not brought ideologically conflicting centers subject to each other, but involved at least two and even more state cliques, which have identical class identities and ideologies. It is not possible that these cliques would be totally unaware of each other's plans and actions just like it is being impossible to dissociated them. However the attempt on 15th of July is not a bloody scenario totally planned by Erdoğan as some claimed so, but is a real coup attempt.

2. There are two dimensions of the path leading to the coup. First one, is the “fight for power” between Erdoğan supporters and Gülen Community which has gained a new dimension after the large purge of Gülen followers. This fight is getting ever deeper on both political and economical context and is also having an international dimension and different trends within the imperialist centers are supporting those factions.

3. It is the reality that most of the officers took place in the coup attempt are members of the Gulen Community and it is well known that the Community has deep and strong connections in USA. The opinion that,since Turkey has close military relations with USA as being a member of NATO, the coups in Turkey can not be made without the consent of USA is very much true. And the main reason that the high ranking members of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) who are not happy with the AKP haven’t attempted any coup, was the support of the USA government to AKP.

4. This support has been reduced recently because of various reasons, even, some constituents have teeth in USA and some European countries, have started to get ready for Erdoğan’s purge. The uprising of the people in 2013 with the participation of the millions, the mischievous affects on the interest of the system of the tension created in society by Erdoğan and finally the failure of the Syrian policy deeply effected the relations between Erdoğan and some imperialist countries. It is not possible to consider the 15th July coup attempt without taking account this tension.

5. Coup plotters having connection abroad is not making Erdoğan a patriot or anti-imperialist. As a politician, Erdoğan largely served to the USA and international monopolies and now he is sealing some alliances and maneuvering in order to save himself as a politician loosing his grace among the powers supported him for years. His approaching to that or this international focus doesn’t change his denominational character and his ideological preferences. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is a bourgeois politician, he is an enemy of working class, he is a counter revolutionist and he is not different than the coup plotters who want to topple him.

6. The coup attempt, regarding the powers behind, the methods which were used and ideological fundamentals, are not holding any point for the interest of the people. The opinion, that the country would have got out of difficulties if the coup have been successful is groundless. It is obvious, what an pro-American, hostile to the people coup would mean.

7. It is also nonsense to present the suppression of the coupe as a victory for the people and/or celebrate it is a democracy fest trailing AKP. This is an approach which does not question the legality of the AKP regime and ignore the class fundamentals of the things going on in the country.

8. The argument claiming that Erdoğan gained more power after this coup attempt is true to a certain extent. Without doubt, Erdoğan got a chance to inflict a heavy blow to the Gülen Community; showed himself as a victim one more time, consolidated his crowds and tested the power of some organisations associated with him. However he ended up with a seriously damaged state apparatus and he also had to face that there is not any safe bureaucracy anymore because of the transitory of the integral cliques.

9. Under these circumstances Erdoğan may totally prefer to stick his own sources within the two critical body of the state apparatus, Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and Judiciary, and prefer to purge not only the Gülen community members but also some Kemalist constituents who used to be in alliance with him. There are serious difficulties to stick totally own sources in TSK and Judiciary even if it is relatively easier in some other parts of the bureaucracy. Erdoğan can not make this move -which means to decelerate clearly an Islamic state- real without avoiding to involve into final and absolute revenge on the both political and social levels. On the other hand Erdoğan doesn’t have any other way out to consolidate his own crowds.

10. It is possible that Erdoğan will go into the effort of mending the relations with USA and reducing the internal tension after the short period of terror and intimidation, there are already some signals showing he is getting ready for those steps. Also the expectations of CHP and HDP are in this direction. The difficulty of this option is Erdoğan will not be able to continue and do politics without tension and opening a space for his radical elements. Parliament opposition does not actually have any problem with Erdoğan and AKP.

11. In each situation there is a dissolution and multi dimensional crisis regarding the hegemony of the capital. It's not this dissolution but the unorganised state of the working class, which is actually dangerous.

12. Another danger is the opinion, which has become popular after the coup attempt, saying Erdoğan is undefeatable. Scary scenarios are coming along with this opinion and a panic environment is being created with the speculative news which some parts of them are not real. AKP government has always been dangerous and it is clear that they are even more dangerous now. Additionally the panic environment which is created, makes the aggression of AKP legitimate. However neither AKP and Erdoğan are powerful as they claim nor Turkey is a country which could be ended or blackened in a minute. For example, during and after the “celebration”moments the number of the AKP followers were few on the streets in spite of all the calls for celebrations. The right position is, to be aware of the danger but not cause a panic, and on the contrary try to evaluate this dissolution from the point of working classes.

13. AKP and the fundamentalist threat must not be underrated at all. The period started with the sentence “secularism is not in danger” carried the country to the edge of abyss. There is a mission for the better organised and more effective opposition of the people against that considerable threat. This mission can not be performed by creating panic after all these woolgathering years. It is not acceptable that the system opposition is crowning its past carelessness by creating a panic.

14. Under these conditions the major power of AKP and Erdoğan stays to be his opponents in the political system. The politics of the system formed all its policy based on normalising, transforming, convincing AKP. It is remarkable and worrying the attitude of some politicians who claims that they are the “left” wing in the parliament.

15. Experiences during and after the 15th July exposed how cruel can be the factions in the government. We all watched how the coup plotters can make their ways cruel. Then, we saw the barbarism been staged by the government. All these can not be handled by the approach of “let them kill each other”. Unknown number of citizens have been killed and private soldiers who don't have any idea what is going on have been lynched. People will bring the account of all these lawless actions,lynch, torture towards suspects and surrended privates and the rulers of those two factions cooperated together for years but fighting each other now will answer the public together.

16. It is not correct to explain all these cruelties with “strength”. On the contrary there is dissolution, fear and confusion on the side of the government. Spreading fear can only be passed by strong, solid and consistent steps but not with the unplanned silly actions. And this dissolution can be turn into an opportunity for the people.

17. As we always emphasize, Turkey can only be out of woods by struggle of the working class together against the class hegemony presented by dark powers but not with the dance of dark powers. We refuse all kind of analysis and positioning ignoring this reality. It is obvious that Communists will not give credit to quackery of the victory of democratic powers and cunning sayings as all become together against Erdoğan. There are some creating panic with saying “followers of sharia will cut our heads off” among the people saying the victory of democratic powers, and even this can show the dimension of confusion. We tell again, we would never become together with the representatives of the capitalist class, USA and NATO supported coups or agents of colorful revolutions. This doesnt make us weak, the thing making us weak is the unorganised state of the working class and them following fake solutions.

18. It needed to be understood one more time that how the enmity of “organising” created a gap at the people's side, where the Gülen Community gangs which placed into the government, the interest groups, the triggers and even the mafia have been very well organised in the country. If we go further, we can say that everybody who are side with the humanitarian ideals, a classless society without exploitation must work together on the common minded, sustainable organisation. It is called as being an enemy to the people not doing it, legalising the carelessness and laziness. It is the necessity to organise, improve, and empower the class organisation which is free from the religious sects, fundamentalism, capital and imperialist centers. The ones who blessed the people's not politicised reactions, unorganised masses, and the ones who aimed aimlessness and formlessness together with the expression of “Gezi pluralism” must have been learnt their lesson.

19. It is the only aim of the Communist Party to become an independent revolutionary organization which can change the balances in the country, can spoil the game in such coup nights or reactionist lynch campaigns. And our ultimate call for our working people is to trust their own power, move all together and take the initiative by stopping to follow this nightmare.

Central Committee Communist Party

#Turkey #CommunistPartyOfTurkey #Asia

The Choice for the Working Class will certainly be created

1. For days now Turkey is witnessing a genuine popular movement. The actions and protests, which have started in Istanbul and spread all over Turkey have a massive, legitimate and historic character. The most important of all is the striking change in the mood of people. The fear and apathy has been overcome and people gained self-confidence.

2. The Communist Party of Turkey has been part of the popular movement beginning from the first day and mobilized all its forces, tried to embolden the proletarian and revolutionary character of the movement, endeavored to pervade a mature attitude of discipline, organized numerous actions and demonstrations. In this process, the police forces carried out a heavy assault on our party headquarters in Ankara. All over Turkey, several party members have been injured and arrested. There have been some attempts of abduction of our party cadres. But the attempts of provocations against our party defeated.

3. Our emphasis on the role of the TKP does not aim to underestimate the spontaneous nature of the movement or contribution of the other political actors. On the contrary, the TKP stressed that this movement has an aspect that is beyond the impact of any political actor or any kind of political opportunism.

4. The call of the masses for the government to resign is an absolute truth of this movement. Although it is obvious that a leftist alternative cannot be built ‘right now’, this demand should be expressed loudly. This option for the working people can be generated only through benefitting from the energy that came out at this historical moment. The TKP will focus on this and expose the real meaning of alternatives like “the formation of a national government”, which will most likely be put forward to deceive the working masses into thinking that the crisis can be overcome that way.

5. Without a doubt, the holders of political power will try to calm the people down, institute control and even attempt to use the situation to their advantage. They can have temporary achievements. Even in that case the popular movement would not be wasted. The TKP is ready for a period of stubborn but intense struggle.

6. In order to act in concert, different branches of the socialist movement sharing similar goals and concerns need to evaluate the rise of this popular movement immediately. The TKP, without interrupting its daily missions and activities, is going to act responsibly regarding this issue and endeavor for the creation of a common ground in line with the urgent demands below.

7. In order to nullify the plans of the government to classify and divide the popular movement as legitimate and illegitimate, all forces need to avoid the steps that might cause damage to the legitimacy of the movement. It is the political power that attacks. The people should defend themselves as well astheir rightful action but never fall into the provocation trap of the government.

8. While the masses are chanting the slogan “government, resign”, the negotiations limited to the future of the Taksim-Gezi Park are meaningless. The government pretends not to understand the fact that the old balances has been upset fundamentally and cannot be restored. Everybody knows that the popular movement is not the product of susceptibility towards the trees in the Gezi Park. The anger of the people is over the urban transformation projects, the terror of the market, open direct interventions in different lifestyles, the Americanism and the subordination to the US, the reactionary policies, the enmity towards the Syrian people. The AKP cannot deceive the people with a discourse of “we will plant more trees than the ones that we will chop down.”

9. While rolling up our sleeves in order to create an alternative of the working people, the movement needs to lean on certain concrete demands. These demands are valid in the in the case of the resignation of the government or of Erdogan:

a) The government must announce that the projects that involve the demolishment of the Gezi Park and of the Ataturk Cultural Center are terminated.

b) Those who were taken in custody during the resistance must be released and all charges against them must be dropped immediately.

c) All officials whose crimes against the people are proven by the reports of the commissions that are formed by the Union of Bar Associations and local bar associations must be relieved of their duties.

d) The attempts that hinder the right of the people to get true news on the developments must be stopped.

e) All prohibitions regarding meetings, demonstrations and marches must be repealed.

f) All de facto or de jure obstacles that lock the political participation of the people, including the 10 per cent election threshold and the anti-democratic articles of the ‘law on political parties’, must be abolished.

g) All initiatives that attempt to impose a monotype life style to all people must be stopped.

10. These urgent demands will in no case affect our right and duty to continue the opposition against the political power. The People's reaction to the government must be reinforced, and efforts must be concentrated to bring about a real alternative in the political scene.

11. The star and the crescent Turkish flag that was intended to be used to provide a shield for reactionary and chauvinist attacks against laborers, leftists, Kurdish people after the fascist military coup of September 12, 1980, has now been grasped by the People from the hands of fascism, and given to the honorable hands of DenizGezmiş and his comrades, as a flag in the hands of patriotic people.

12. The People's movement, ever since the beginning, has persistently let down the sinister strategy to play one community against another in Turkey. This attitude must carefully be maintained, leaving no room for chauvinism or vulgar nationalism.

13. Appealing to our Kurdish brothers and sisters, we had already declared that “There can be no peace agreement with AKP”. There can be no deal with a political power to which its own People have turned their back, and the true face of which has been revealed. Kurdish politics must give up “cherishing hopes of proceeding further with AKP”, and become a strong constituent of a united, patriotic and enlightened laborer People's movement.

14. Our citizens who have lost their lives through the hands of the police force of the political power, have sacrificed their lives in the name of a just and historical struggle. The People are never going to forget their names, and those who are responsible for their death will pay the price before law.

Central Committee

Communist Party of Turkey

4 June 2013

#Turkey #Imperialism #Syria #CommunistPartyOfTurkey #Asia