Berlin: Kreuzberg salutes the people revolting in Turkey

Everyday for the last two weeks people have taken to the streets of Berlin to show their solidarity with the ongoing struggle in Turkey. On the evening of June 7th a short and wild demonstration took place in the centre of the Kreuzberg neighbourhood, when around 50 people marched towards Kottbusser Tor, shouting slogans and lightening fireworks.

Traffic was blocked in every direction by material pulled into the street from construction sites. The cops, who were at that moment attempting a drug raid in Kottbusser Tor, were attacked with stones and firebombs. After this action the mob dispersed.

Before the demonstrators reached Kottbusser Tor, leaflets were spread in the surrounding area. The text was written in Turkish and German and circulated some days before Friday’s action. Additionally banners were hung reading “Berlin salutes Istanbul – For social revolt worldwide” and “Özgürlük için omuz omuza / Side by side towards freedom!” As the newspapers reported, two people were arrested by the cops and released the next day. We lend our solidarity to them as well, as they are facing the repression of the police and the judicial system.

We will be back: when, where, and how we chose. We take part in demos and actions, and show the rebels that in Berlin too we fight at their side!

Our thoughts are with the families, friends and comrades of Mehmet Ayvalıtaş (İstanbul), Abdullah Cömert (Antakya) and Ethem Sarısülük (Ankara), all killed during the revolt.

Freedom for the prisoners! Shoulder to shoulder towards freedom!

The leaflet that was handed out:

Solidarity with the Rebels!

People storm the streets, barricades are built, cars are set on fire, and everything that’s not nailed down flies in the direction of the police. The sky is clouded by teargas, and a shout for freedom makes its way through the dust.

The planned destruction of one of the last green spaces in Istanbul, in order to replace it with a shopping mall, was the spark that brought thousands of people onto the streets in order to resist. In the meantime, the revolt spread across the country like wildfire.

No matter how different the motivations of everyone involved may be, they burst through the existent, and in doing so, open new spaces of self-organization, solidarity and controversy.

All these things are a rare occurrence in this world. Between school, work, paying rent, keeping a family feed and so on, it often seems as if there is no time to take issue with the destruction of our environment. We approve that all over the wold there are still those who, despite it all, still do something. As has been shown, the small fights of daily life can be the trigger of a general uprising.

We see the smoke signals from the cities and in them we recognize the struggles we fight here: against displacement, degradation, and police violence. Therefore we call for solidarity with the insurgents, so that those on the Bosporus can also see that they are not alone!

Shoulder to shoulder towards freedom! (A)