May Day 2011 in Turkey
The variety and colorfulness of the participants has been dominant in the celebrations of May Day this year. Workers, public employees poor people, , women, youth, football fans, students, retired people, teachers, excluded segments of the society, alienated people, people whose identities are ignored, photography fans, defenders of animal rights, bottom segments of the society were all there to celebrate May Day and express themselves. May Day was the common platform for these parts and they were their own demands and particularities.
Although we had different colours, different flags, different slogans, different demands, our aim and hope was same: “Decent work, decent future, decent life, equal-free-democratic and independent Turkey and a world without war”
Besides workers, the high level of the participation of the other parts of the society to the May Day celebrations, such as youth, refreshed our hopes and strengthened our devoutness for fighting in order to turn the platform of May Day into the unity and fraternity of the workers.
Mainly in İstanbul, the broader participation in all May Day squares under the umbrella of labour, peace, freedom and democracy could be seen as a best example of united power of the people and solidarity. This was the picture that we fought for and desired to see for years. This picture was finally seen in the May Day of 2011.
Throughout Turkey, Millions of people shout out the neoliberal policies that impoverished the people, created more hunger and poverty, they called out the oppressive and totalitarian implementations and they demanded the 1977 May Day massacre to be revealed and the ones who are in charge of this massacre to be brought to the court.
The call of the millions of people made on May Day was such a call that cannot be ignored by the governors, political powers and political parties and candidate for the parliament during the general election process. What the millions of people said should be listened! Otherwise they will go to the history!
On behalf of DİSK, we would like to thank to the international trade UNION movement who supported our struggle for peaceful demonstration in Taksim Square.
