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We are on the Squares Together with Those Resisting Repression and Violence

The AKP (Justice and Development Party) rule has encountered strong opposition of those seeking equity and justice while attempting to use police terror to repress the citizens’ sensibilities that developed against sacrificing the Taksim Gezi Park for economic interests.

The governing party has chosen to respond with state violence towards the honourable reaction of the people. Our fellow-citizens, who were demanding equity and justice, are murdered, tens of them are disabled, and thousands of them are injured.

There has been a misinforming and slandering campaign against the emancipatory opposition of the people of Turkey by the AKP rule’s blockade of the press.

Yet the resistance of the people isn’t broken, it has overcome these obstructions one by one.

Shaken by the resistance of the people of Turkey for conscience, equity and justice, and having failed to break the resistance, the AKP rule started to reduce the movement to an environmental sensibility, and to attempt to delegitimize the reaction of the people against the widespread police terror and the despotic manner of governing.

The people of Turkey, who are longing for freedom, didn’t play into the hands of the AKP. Facing the insistent resistance of the people, who are not giving up their rights and freedom, the AKP rule has started an inconceivable assaulting campaign right before the eyes of the world.

Gezi Park and the Taksim Square, both of which became the symbol of the resistance, have been occupied by the police using chemical gas and solutions. To make matters worse, including the Kızılay Square in Ankara, there has been instances of disproportionate police violence in the cities all around the country. The police even attacked the commemoration ceremony for people to say goodbye to the friends whom they lost during the struggles.

Children and elderly has been gassed and jolted, disregarding all human values.

The sickbays constructed for the injured during these violent raids, have been scattered. The doctors and the nurses have been detained; the tools and materials for treatment have been destroyed.

The parliament members and international observers who are embracing the opposition of the people have been tear gassed and hit by truncheons.

This relentless police violence is triggered by the prime minister himself with the instructions given during the public meeting of the AKP.

However, the people of Turkey, who demand freedom and respect, keep resisting the belligerence of the government with belief, honour, determination, intelligence and love. The resistance of freedom, honour, equity and justice is growing, surrounding whole Turkey and shaking the AKP rule.

The Prime Minister Erdogan has chosen to build an unbridled repressive regime against the widespread resistance of the people, for being extremely frustrated by the party’s grassroots’ unresponsiveness to his provocations for a civil war. We started to see the police together with military forces on the streets.

We, as the most essential labour and profession UNIONs of the equality, justice and freedom struggle, are of opinion that stopping the aggressiveness of the AKP rule towards building a despotic regime is the most burning democratic task of today.

Therefore, our members will go to their workplaces expressing their objection to this violence, stop their service production except the urgent matters, and march to the central squares in their respective cities, on Monday, June 17, 2013. We are calling the people to contribute to our resistance, to be understanding for the inconveniences that might result from the service interruptions, and to be together in the squares for an equal, free and democratic Turkey.

DİSK (Confederation of Progressive Trade UNIONs)

KESK (Confederation of Public Workers’ UNIONs)

TMMOB (UNION of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects)

TTB (Turkish Medical Association)

TDB (Turkish Dental Association)

 16 June 2013

ITUC ETUC