Fascist threat grows

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Nearly 300 workers and students have been killed by fascist attacks in Turkey since the Ecevit government took over earlier this year.

The fascists are continuing an all-out offensive aimed at systematically terrorising the masses.

In some places these attacks have reached the scale of open uprising-particularly in the Eastern part of Turkey. There on five • or six occasions the fascists have provoked backward, religious peasants into violent action through bomb outrages blamed on to "communists"

Rampage

As the peasants take over the town, the fascists go on the rampage, seeking out militant workers, students and progressive elements.

Even offices of Ecevit's bourgeois party the RPP have been burned down in these uprisings, in which fascists have called for the overthrow of Ecevit's "communist" government and the establishment of a religious-fascist state.

Under these conditions clearly no credence can be given to the recent call by the fascist leader for "peace" or his declaration that i'the govern. ment will be overthrown in Parliament by democratic means"

This type of demagogy is a carbon copy from Adolf Hitler, designed to confuse the workers, and disregarded by the big bourgeoisie whose resources are being channeiled behind the fascists.

Ailing economy

Ecevit's liberal bourgeois is plainly unable to cope with this political crisis coming on top of the acute dislocation inside At the recent Istanbul conference of underdeveloped countries, Ecevit warned that IMF stipulations on loans to underdeveloped countries could lead to "authoritarian regimes".

•Ecevit should know. He has himself been implementing IMF policies. in an effort to prop up the ailing economy. And he ended a desperate tour of ten capitalist countries and the Soviet Union almost empty handed, despite the urgent need to cover $15 billion external debts, $4 billion short term debts and a trade deficit so far this year of $4 billion.

But sooner than confront the Turkish working class head on, Ecevit's strategy is to utilise the collaboration of the union leaders.

The devaluation of the Turkish lira and price increases have been followed up by the signing of a British-style "social contract" with the right wing trade union confederation Turk-is, covering 1 million workers.

This "contract" centres on permanent wage controls and the introduction of "workers' parțicipation" schemes to further class collaboration. With inflation currently at 50%, this amounts to a major attack.

Yet despite its initial criticisms, of the "contract" the left-wing union confederation, DISK, is now also having talks with the government.

The dangers of a military/ fascist coup in Turkey are emphasised by the lengths to which Ecavit now has to go to portray the army as "democratic"

Lost control

His recent speech to the National Security Council claimed, in an awful echo of the doomed Allende, that:

"The armed forces determination not to be provoked and their attachment to the principles of democracy constitute proof that Turkey will emerge from the present crisis with its national integrity unscathed."

But the government has lost control of much of the police machinery. to the fascists-to such an extent that 20,000 soldiers are now stationed in the important cities to do the job of the police!

There is no way that Turkish workers can fight the fascists through Ecevit's bourgeois government or through defending it.

Only the independent struggles of the working class and the formation of armed workers' militias can successfully fight back against the growth of fascist violence.

Workers parties, trade unions and youth organisations must Ecevit break politicaliv from Ecevit and the RPP and be forced to fight for the establishment of a workers' and peasants' government.

A working class united front must be built in which the fascists can be defeated, and the existing leadership of the labour movement put to the test.

In the course of • such struggles a Trotskyist party must be built as part of a reconstructed Fourth International.