The masses in Turkey have joined the wave of rebellion that began with the Arab Spring, spread across southern Europe, and continues to rage in Syria.
The spark came on June 1 when bulldozers razed Istanbul’s Gezi Park. The tinder was growing social discontent amidst severe income inequality and the threat of Turkish intervention in neighboring Syria.
Mass protests spread in the face of brutal repression. Protesters in Bursa, in western Turkey, blocked the main highway.
On June 4, thousands of workers (teachers, doctors, and others in two large labor federations) on a political “warning strike” marched in Istanbul and Ankara. The Türk Metal Union (with
115,000 members) is may also strike, against the key industry in Turkey’s manufacturing sector. As in Egypt, a rising of industrial workers could change the nature of the struggle.
Over 1000 marched in Thessaloniki, Greece, in solidarity with Turkish protesters. They defied the nationalism pushed by rival Greek and Turkish bosses. (See picture page 7.) Other solidarity rallies happened in Krakow (Poland), Madrid (Spain), Oxford (England), San Francisco and Los Angeles (US), and elsewhere.
Crowds in Istanbul have chanted, “Tayyip [Erdogan] resign” and “shoulder to shoulder against fascism.” As the following report shows, many in Istanbul cling to dangerous illusions that the capitalist state can be reformed to meet their needs.
Young protesters in Egypt who are already learning that “regime change” isn’t enough are posting videos to share this lesson with comrades in Turkey. South African miners, too, have seen that ANC leaders they once supported are now in bed with capitalist bosses. Fascism and democracy are two sides of the same capitalist coin.
Only by mobilizing for communist revolution, not reform, can the masses protect ourselves, respect ourselves, and win the ability to make the decisions that affect our lives.

From a friend’s friend’s friend in Istanbul:
“A group of people got together in Istanbul’s Gezi Park. Among them there were many of my friends and students. Their reason was simple: To prevent and protest the upcoming demolishing of the park for the sake of building yet another shopping mall at very center of the city! “The tearing down of the trees was supposed to begin early Thursday morning. People went to the park with their blankets, books and children. They spent the night under the trees. Early in the morning when the bulldozers started to pull the hundred-year-old trees out of the ground, they stood up against them to stop the operation.
“But the police arrived with water cannon vehicles and pepper spray. They chased the crowds out of the park.
“In the evening the number of protesters multiplied. So did the number of police. Meanwhile local government of Istanbul shut down all the ways leading up to Taksim square where the Gezi Park is located. Yet more and more people made their way up to the center of the city.
“They came from all around Istanbul. They came from all different backgrounds, different ideologies, different religions.
“Police chased them with pepper spray and tear gas and drove their tanks over people who offered the police food in return. Two young people were run over by the tanks and were killed. Another young woman was hit in the head by one of the incoming tear gas canisters.
“The whole country is being sold to corporations by the government, for the construction of malls, luxury condominiums, freeways, dams and nuclear plants. The government is looking for (and creating when necessary) any excuse to attack Syria against its people’s will.
“Government control over its people’s personal lives has become unbearable. The state passed many laws and regulations concerning abortion, cesarean birth, sale and use of alcohol and even the color of lipstick worn by airline stewardesses.
“People are demanding their right to live freely and receive justice, protection and respect from the State. They demand to be involved in the decision-making processes about the city they live in.
“What they have received instead is excessive force and enormous amounts of tear gas shot straight into their faces. Three people lost their eyes.
“Yet they still march. Hundred of thousands join them. Couple of more thousand passed the Bosporus Bridge on foot to support the people of Taksim.
“Schools, hospitals and even 5 star hotels opened their doors to the injured. Doctors filled the classrooms and hotel rooms to provide first aid. Some police officers refused to spray innocent people with tear gas and quit their jobs. Restaurants offered food and water for free.
“People in Ankara and İzmir gathered on the streets to support the resistance in Istanbul.
“By spreading the word to you, my friends who live in other parts of the world, I am hoping to get your awareness, support and help!”