Don't Let Turkey Become Another Chile!

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CAMPAIGN:

Turkish state repression-aimed mainly at the left ran: free socialist prisoners In view of the seriousness of the political crisis now facing the Turkish working class, the Workers Socialist League Summer School resolved to launch an international campaign in the workers' movement.

. The object of this campaign is to highlight the danger of a fascist catastrophe in Turkey. and to bring maximum international pressure to bear on the Turkish CP, Labour Party and trade unions to break from their Popular Front with Ecevit and initiate a united front offensive against the fascists.

The campaign was launched on the following resolution:

*BREAK FROM ECEVIT AND HIS GENERALS!

*FOR A WORKERS AND PEASANTS GOVERNMENT IN The deepening world economic crisis is reflected with special intensity in Turkey.

The Turkish bourgeoisie and the imperialists are increasingly forced to abandon the perspective of class rule based upon the institutions and methods of bourgeois democracy. They turn instead towards solutions of the military-fascist type.

As the widespread and bitter struggle of the proletariat is met with the bombs and bullets of fascist terror, the replacement of bourgeois democratic forms by the naked armed dictatorship of capital is placed on the agenda.

The perfidious cowardice of the misleaders of the Turkish workers takes on two basic characteristics in the face of this life and death struggle. On the one hand the reforinists and Stalinists sabotage all independent mobilisations of the masses, and on the other they cling on to the wagon of bourgeois democracy as it plunges into the abyss.

Resolution adopted by WSL Summer School, July 29, 1979.

The WSL International Summer School:

1) protests against the continued imprisonment of members of the Habz-Kargaran-e Sonialist (Socialist Workers Party) in Iran and demands their immediate and unconditional release;

2) demands also the ending of the numerous repressive measures now being taken by the Iranian government against other organisations which participated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dictatorship, such as the Fedayin e Khala, and against the movements for national autonomy and self. determination, as well as the ending of the widespread attacks being made on the rights of women;

3) declares its support for the continued struggle of the Iranian workers, peasants and students for full democratic rights, It calls for the establish ment of a constituent assembly elected by universal suffrage.

At the same time we support the building of democratically elected councils of workers This timid impotence finds its most rotten expression in the uncritical support given to the bourgeois RPP of Ecevit.

Ecevit came to power and holds it today, largely due to the treacherous illusions in 'progressive democracy', 'democratic roads' and 'peaceful coexistence' peddled by the The RPP has proven itself completely servile in the face of demands from the IMF and other institutions of imperialist finance capital for vicious attacks on the basic rights and conditions of the toilers. As the fascist terror has increased, so have the attacks of the 'demopeasants and rank and file soldiers to defend the independent political interests of the masses, as part of the struggle for a workers and peasants government and the overthrow of Khomeini and the mullahs.

4) It condemns the arbitrary and reactionary actions of the so-called revolutionary tribunals - actions which include the murder and violent intimidation of homosexuals and prostitutes, as part of the regime's reactionary Islamic campaign against "vice"

5) These repressive actions form part of the KhomeiniBazargan regime's determined preservation of capitalist exploitation in Iran. This school declares its support for every independent struggle of the working class and oppressed masses against this regime and against capitalism in Iran. The interests of the Iranian masses can be secured only through the fight to replace the present cratic' darlings of the Stalinists.

While 1800 workers and left- stepped arracks on the men ists have been killed at the hands of the fascist vermin, devaluation of the Turkish lira including the 120 slaughtered in and price increases, while the two days at Kahramanmaras, voice of protest has been Ecevit has prepared the way for silenced through the banning of dictatorship through the intro- the workers prest. Stalinists and duction of martial law in 19 cities, mostly in the Kurdish reformists still preach reliance towns of the East. on Ecevit's 'democracy' to the workers. Thus the proletariatArrested social power and weight to place ENE OnIV force that has the On May Day 1979-the itself at the head of the international day of the working oppressed masses in resistance class-thousands of workers, to fascism-is left disorientated including leaders of DISK and and open to demoralisation bi the Turkish Labour Party, were arrested by the army. leadership Die have passed without serious proletarian resistance. But the working class has not yet been defeated. On the contrary. it still has the capacity and will to crush the fascist threat, and in doing so, smash the assaults of the 'democratic bourgeoisie.

Leadership catastrophe in Turkey is reduced to the question of regime with a workers and revolutionary leadership. peasants government and the construction of a planned driven into bankruptcy and socialist economy. despair by the policies of Ecevit, now turn their backs on the Emergeois parliamenary demot cracy and seek a bold alternative course.

From the proletariat, they lool o the fascist:

ship of the Shah in Iran and the upsurge of the Kurdish masses has given a new impetus to, anc created new conditions for, the confidence and readiness of the working class to fight. This applies especially to the oppressed Kurdish nationals in Turkey:

now conspires with the reactionary regimes in Iran and Irao to repress the Kurds.

Khomeini Victims of Ecevit and his generals have imperialists seek the fascist ensiavement of the Turkish Cras. through the recent masses more than ever before, because of the need to create a new stable base for their police role in the Middle East following the revolutionary crisis in iran.

Their success in these plans depends heavily upon the wretched reformist and pacifist illusions sown by the Stalinist traitors.

Not too late The undersigned organisations say to the international criminal policies of its labour movement: Turkey must not become another Chile!

The attacks of the bourgeois- The danger is great but it is not too late to mount the struggle. The first step must be the independent mobilisation of the proletariat in a mighty united front.

The demand must be addressed to the Communist Party and other workers' parties, as well as to the mass trade unions: break from the 'democracy' of Ecevit and the The struggle against fascist generals which has opened the gates to fascism, and join together in fighting detachments of the armed workers' militia The petty bourgeois masses, against the fascists.

Only when the oppressed masses see the proletariat prepared to fight for victory, will promises and lies they join in struggle under its The fascist monster must be crushed and the way opened, When they do not find this through the militant united front of the workers, for the establishment of a workers and The downfall of the dictator- poor peasants government which will end the rotten capitalist system that produces the crisis and fascism, once and for all.

Deadly blow A fascist victory in Turkey would deal a deadly blow to the The • Turkish government international working class and especially the downtrodden masses in the Middle East. The struggle for defence and solidarThe Turkish question today ity with the Turkish workers question for the internation- today is a vital part of the world workers' movement. The struggle against imperialism. The the Kahramanmara undersigned organisations launch an appeal:

Turkey must not become another Chile!

Workers and youth internationally, fight in your organisations for concrete solidarity and warn of the fascist dangers Down with fascist-military repression in Turkey.

For a workers militía in Arms and aid to the Turkish workers organisations-black all military supplies to the Turkish bourgeoisie.

Down with Ecevit, Ba'athist and Khomeini oppression of the Kurdish nation-for self-determination and an independent Kurdish state.

Break from Ecevit generals.

For a workers and government in Turkey.

For a Turkish Trotskyist party, section of a reconstructed Fourth International!

Workers Socialist League (Britain)

Socialist League (DC)

Communist Internationalist League (Greece)

Trotskyist Workers League (Denmark)

Ecevit

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