This evening (14/6), at around 6pm, we held a rally in front of the Turkish Embassy. The banner displayed read: “For the expansion of Revolt. Dayanışma bir silahtır – Solidarity is a weapon.” Flyers were distributed with the following text:
Santiago’dan Türkiye’deki isyancılara selam
Fourteen days ago in Istanbul a social crisis exploded, caused by the construction of a shopping centre on top of the last park in the city. After brutal repressive measures were taken against the peaceful movement that opposed the construction of this emblem of capitalism, thousands of people have taken to the streets to both support that movement and take back the park from the hands of the police.
As the days went by, the situation intensified. Night after night the city has been taken over by protesters who have resisted constant police attacks. On the 3rd and 4th days, this repression took the lives of 4 people: all shot by the police, all clearly visible on video. The country’s president gave a speech where he accused the protesters of being terrorists.
As days passed, following the deaths of members of the resistance at Taksim Square, the main square of Istanbul, social tension began to grow, this time spreading through Turkey’s major cities, where the goal was converted from stopping the construction of a shopping centre, to the resignation both president and prime minister of Turkey. Meanwhile those on the streets lived a totally different reality than which was shown on television. The most despicable moment occurred when CNN-Turkey cut short the live transmission from downtown Istanbul during the heaviest moments of the street clashes in order to show a documentary about penguins.
Thousands of people have been arrested, thousands are wounded, and the number of victims is more than 4; the government is hiding the real number of those killed by the cops.
Anarchist comrades are an active part of the demonstrations, and they, as well the courage of all of those who riot, provide us with bravery to continue what we choose to call the struggle for freedom. Therefore we extend our immediate solidarity to all combatants who fight for freedom.