"Fear will not help": Turkish communists on tasks and plans
10.12.2021
TCH interview for the 101st anniversary of the communist struggle in Turkey
Editor’s Note: The Turkish Communist Party will celebrate its 101st anniversary in 2021 . ROT FRONT expresses its support for the TCH, wishes it success in the development of the party and, in this regard, has translated an interview posted on the soL International portal .
On the 101st anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Communist Party, the Peoples Dispatch spoke with Party Central Committee member Ekin Sönmez about how the party is addressing the pressing challenges facing the Turkish working class and fighting for socialism.
On the occasion of the 101st anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Communist Party (hereinafter referred to as TCH), Peoples Dispatch interviewed Ekin Sönmez, a member of the TCH Central Committee. Declaring that the TKP is the oldest and at the same time the youngest political party in Turkey, Sonmez emphasized the role of the TKP as the hope and vanguard of the Turkish working class in building a future free from capitalist barbarism.
Below is the full interview.
Peoples Dispatch : The government of the ruling AKP (Justice and Development Party of Turkey) has come under international pressure for its brazen campaigns of political persecution of the opposition. What impact did these circumstances have on the TCH? Does your party intend to challenge the authoritarian nature of the current government?
Ekin Seongmez: The AKP's pro-Western government, which took over the country in 2002, has gained widespread support among the liberal elite and the upper middle class; the latter hoped that the AKP would take a more democratic, EU-oriented political course and ultimately lead the country to wealth and prosperity. However, in reality, the AKP is an Islamist, conservative, anti-republican and anti-popular party that shares a common ideology with the Muslim Brotherhood ( Muslim Brotherhood is an organization banned on the territory of the Russian Federation - Ed. ), Which at one time successfully positioned and "sold" themselves as pro-democratic liberals and centrists. At that time, we warned our people about the impending danger.
What happened is sad, but not surprising. By concentrating power in its hands, taking risky actions abroad and creating the illusion of economic growth that ultimately led to a severe crisis and huge debts, the AKP strengthened an authoritarian regime at home, oppressing workers and political opponents, while simultaneously paving the way for nationalist and reactionary movements.

AKP leader, President of Turkey R.T. Erdogan celebrates election victory
When discussing the authoritarian rhetoric and anti-opposition actions of the authorities, we must remember that anti-communism literally flows through the veins of the Turkish bourgeoisie and therefore was, is and will always be the leitmotif of the actions of any bourgeois party in Turkey. And there would be nothing surprising in the government's attacks on our party if it were not for the ever-increasing brutality of these attacks. As a concrete example, we can cite the recent trial of members of the Central Committee, including the general secretary of the party, as well as of supporters of our party from among the intelligentsia. All of them were punished for “constantly insulting Erdogan”. Thus, the executive branch crushes the judicial power, using it as a weapon aimed at anyone who intends to oppose the cult of the leader's personality.
We also have to deal with attacks on our district areas, which are carried out by members of religious sects and fascists with the support of the AKP. A prime example is the attack on party members in Istanbul's densely populated Bahçelievler district following the distribution of our weekly Boyun Eğme"With the headline" All religious sects are harmful! " Such sects revived noticeably after the coup d'état of 1980, and after the AKP came to power, they began to loudly declare themselves, seeking to change the structure of society and impose their own rules. In essence, they are the government's street militia and a tool to further oppress society. Despite the fact that there is obviously some rivalry between the aforementioned political forces, which manifested itself, in particular, in the coup attempt in 2016, they are united by a strong connection with the capitalist class and anti-communism.
Having analyzed the current political situation in the country, we declare our intention to continue working in the previously chosen direction - to build factories, shopping centers and schools. We recognize that the only way to counter government repressive actions is to organize the forces of the working class against a common enemy. The June 2013 uprising in Gezi clearly demonstrates the success a cohesive working class can achieve. Fear will not help, and this thought needs to be voiced. This is our main goal.

2013 Istanbul protests
PD : How has the AKP government used the pandemic to intensify attacks on workers' rights? What are the main fronts of workers' struggle in Turkey today?
ES : Even before the pandemic, working class conditions in Turkey were deteriorating in terms of both labor market performance and working conditions themselves. The unemployment rate reaches 25% , and among young people it is even higher.
The AKP government was no different from other capitalist countries and used the pandemic to its maximum benefit (quarantine, school closures, etc.). This led to disastrous results. Workers were forced to work in appalling conditions with inadequate COVID prevention measures; many people lost their jobs and income.
It is also important to mention that the massively privatized sector of services, health care, education, transport, security, etc. became an additional burden for the working class. The pandemic has helped private companies make good money on the vital needs of people. The largest monopoly groups have increased their profits by almost 50% thanks to the policy of the AKP government. Even IMF reports indicate that the Turkish government was among those providing the least social assistance to its citizens. The AKP is brazenly lying - they summarize the huge incentives given to capitalists and the modest aid given to ordinary citizens, passing it off as the total amount of aid provided.
Moreover, the AKP government used the need to maintain "social distance" to silence the working class by banning street protests. Such measures were warmly supported by the bourgeois opposition, because they fear the uprising of the working class almost more than the ruling party itself. It was important for our party not to fall into this trap, because it is enough to cross the line once to lose everything: the long-term gains of the working class, freedom of expression and struggle. We cannot allow the new realities that emerged during the pandemic to become the norm. This is why, for example, we have worked hard to organize Republic Day celebrations, usually on May 1st, October 29th. We continued the work of the party, trying to adapt our ways of organizing meetings, seminars and events for the new conditions.
Today there are many fronts of struggle. The main ones are the struggle for the right to form trade unions, the struggle against inequality in society, the struggle against the privatization of basic public services and rights ... All this is connected with the struggle for the socialist revolution.
PD : One of the most important issues in Turkey today is migration and xenophobia. Conflicts motivated by xenophobia are becoming more and more, and the flows of migrants are increasing due to the intensification of imperialist wars in the region. Tell us what work has the party done to challenge xenophobic sentiments in society and eliminate the root cause of the problem, and what position has the government taken on these issues?
ES : As you rightly said, it was imperialism that gave rise to the refugee problem. We must be clearly aware of this in order to develop the correct approach to this problem.
In pursuing a policy of "open borders", the AKP pursues several goals. First, Syrian, Afghan, Iraqi or other refugees served as a pretext for interfering in the internal affairs of these countries in accordance with the expansionist goals of the AKP government ... Refugees are of great value to capitalists as cheap labor; Turkish capitalists found an extra 4-5 million workers in the face of refugees, especially in those sectors in which the AKP stimulated economic growth: construction, textiles, agriculture, etc. In addition, the refugees, being, in fact, a reserve army of workers, serve as a trump card in the hands of the government in its confrontation with the working class. It is also important to mention that maintaining nationalist sentiments in society has always been a beneficial strategy in both domestic and foreign policy. Despite, that an agreement worth 6 billion euros was signed with the EU, the AKP has resorted to blackmailing EU governments on several occasions by threatening to "release refugees abroad." Meanwhile, no one still understands where the above money was spent.
The bourgeois opposition in Turkey now operates under the auspices of the so-called Alliance of Nations, consisting of the Social Democratic Republican People's Party, the nationalist Good Party, former AKP cadres, religious conservatives, as well as the pro-Kurdish Democratic Peoples' Party and the left liberal Labor Party of Turkey. The Alliance as a whole has a very ambivalent position on the refugee issue; however, the dominant members of the alliance, the CHP and the Good Party, openly advocate the expulsion of refugees from the country. RPP leader Kilicdaroglu recently rekindled anti-refugee sentiment, especially among the middle class with individualistic views, speaking in the spirit of his famous slogan "Border means honor." Border does mean honor, but what about the borders of other sovereign countries - Syria, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and so on? Such arguments sound very hypocritical, given that the Turkish army is present on the territory of other countries on not entirely legal grounds - as a NATO force serving the interests of the Western imperialist camp, or solving its own regional tasks.
Labor exploitation is the root cause of migration. We are trying to resist xenophobia, including by attracting refugee workers to the ranks of socialists. We recently founded the Bureau for Immigrant Workers to focus our efforts on overcoming linguistic, cultural and logistical challenges.
Of course, the growing wave of migration, its causes and results is a huge problem that cannot be solved by the forces of one party. Therefore, I urge everyone to read our recently published article "The Immigration Problem is a Labor Problem."
PD : The SSP is actively demanding justice for recent femicide victims and opposing Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention. What are the main factors that appear to be causing the rise in patriarchal violence in the country?
ES : Over the past 20 years, we have witnessed a sharp increase in violence against women and femicide. This, of course, is no coincidence and is a direct result of the market-oriented and reactionary Islamist policies of the AKP government, as well as inequality that manifests itself in all aspects of life. Women's labor is paid lower, it is more difficult for them to find a job (despite the increase in the total employment of women due to the increased demand for labor), they are less educated. Not surprisingly, household responsibilities traditionally fall on the shoulders of female family members.
More than 400cases of femicide per year is a terrible shame. This problem requires urgent action, but this is not happening. On the contrary, the judiciary in most cases decides in favor of the offenders. Criminals are often covertly or openly affiliated with the government itself, or use their position to avoid punishment for crimes. The most telling example is the silence on the murder of the Uzbek citizen Nadira Kadyrova, who worked as an immigrant maid in one of the houses of an AKP deputy. This situation perfectly reflects all the vices of modern society: cheap immigrant labor, double oppression of working women, reaction, inequality and hierarchy in society, the corrupt politicians of the AKP ... All this ultimately led to the tragic death of a young 23-year-old woman in the very heart of the country - in Ankara, in 2019. In the fate of Nadira Kadyrova, we see the tragic outcome of the collapse of Soviet socialism for the countries of Central Asia. Nadira could have a bright future and live a dignified life as a citizen of a socialist country.

Death of 23-year-old Nadira Kadyrova caused a resonance in Turkey
That is why, of course, we were at the forefront of street demonstrations and other protests against the reactionary policies of the AKP government, which first arbitrarily signed the Convention in 2009, and then, when it became unprofitable, withdrew from it. The current version of the text of the Istanbul Convention was drawn up by the UN in the spirit of progressive bourgeois values.
In accordance with one of the resolutions of our 13th Congress in 2020, the party announced the creation of women's solidarity committees to form a base against oppression, violence and exploitation and to strengthen the bonds of solidarity among working class women. Women's Solidarity Committees have played a key role in recruiting new supporters, politicizing women and fighting for their rights. In March 2021, we drew up a declaration that reflects women's demands for equality and freedom - a kind of “maximum program” that goes beyond the Istanbul Convention.
We hope that our strong women will help us build a socialist Turkey in the future.
PD : The Turkish Communist Party celebrates its 101st anniversary on 10 September. What successes have the Turkish communists been able to achieve in 100 years of struggle?
ES : The TCP was born shortly after the Great October Revolution and the founding of the Comintern against the backdrop of the anti-imperialist struggle for independence in Anatolia. Since the founding of the TCP in 1920, organized communists have always adhered to the principles of independence, secularism, enlightenment, and anti-imperialism. Despite temporary setbacks, the main goal of the SSP has always been the socialist revolution, the seizure of power by the working class. Belief in the reality of the revolution lies at the heart of our struggle, and even in the darkest periods of Turkish history, the exploiters were unable to eradicate this idea.
The TCH stands for internationalism and friendship of peoples against nationalist, racist, xenophobic and militaristic tendencies. The Peace Association (which was banned twice after the 1980 and 2016 coup d'état and has since operated under the name of the Turkey Peace Committee) was associated with the communists. It was founded by the communists from among the Turkish intellectuals, thus expressing their protest against the sending of soldiers to the Korean War - a bloody bribe for Turkey's entry into NATO.

Demonstration of many thousands organized by TCH
Moreover, the most famous and influential intellectuals, writers, artists, scientists, archaeologists from Turkey were proud communists; among them are Nazim Hikmet , Suat Dervish , Sabahattin Ali , Aziz Nesin , Khalet Chambel , Nejdet Bulut and so on. All of them are still inexhaustible sources of inspiration for us.
TKP is the oldest and at the same time the youngest political party in our country. It is the vanguard of the Turkish working class and the hope for a future free from capitalist barbarism.
https://www.rotfront.su/strah-ne-pomozh ... -kommunis/
Google Translator