Turkish workers fight

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The following report from Istanbul was unfortunately delayed in reaching us. But though the events it describes have since been reported in the media, it gives a clear picture of the elements involved-in the unfolding class struggle in Turkey, where the Demirel government has now ordered troops to shoot Police armoured car breaks through barricade left wing "terrorists" on sight.

A small-scale : civil war took place in Izmir, third largest city in Turkey, when state forces moved in to break up the occupation of the state owned agricultural factory TARIS.

The occupation-which, along with a similar struggle in the ANTBIRLIK plant in the city of Antalya, was the strongest in the history of the Turkish working class-began when the right wing Demirel government attempted mass victimisations, and to replace left wing militant workers with fascists.

Barricades

As the police moved in, workers set up barricades on the roads and in the factories, and open armed battles erupted between workers and left wing militants and the state forces.

The fighting went on for over a week, though eventually the police regained control of most parts of the firm.

The city of Izmir itself has been occupied by 5,000 troops in response to student protests in solidarity with the TARIS workers.

Thousands of students were arrested and herded into football grounds in a scene ominous ly reminiscent of the 19:3 Pinochet coup in Chile.

Women and children armed with sticks and stones sallied into the fight as police moved into the working class districts.

As the whole Aegean coast area remained in turmoil, Prime Minister Demirel declared that his government was formed precisely to finish off such problems.

But while the vicious action of the state forces leaves no doubts as to Demirel's intentions, the mass spontaneous struggles of workers against the fascists and state forces have shown that they will not surrenAP "It was the biggest frame Up our party has ever known, and it must be completely overturned." With these words the Plenum of China's Communist Party Central Committee announced the total posthumous rehabilitation of Liu Shaoqi.

it has now even raised him to No. 2 in the league table of dead Chinese revolutionary heros, ahead even of the former Prime Minister, Chou En-lai. * The other decisions of this 5th Plenary session reinforced the position of Deng Xiaoping in the party leadership.

Hangover

The last four remaining members of the politbureau who represented a "leftist" line and were a hangover from the ''Gang of Four' days. had their resignations accepted.

They were all closely associated with Mao himself and the present Deng majority felt that to delay in their removal would only encourage a dangerous opposition tendency:

•Commentators have pointed out that their "factional" activity endangered the stability and unity of the regime. des without i sah. Despite an almost total absence oi leadership Turkish workers are prepared to fight arms in hand : to defend their jobs and rights.

The TARIS occupation boincided with another long-term struggle by 20,000 workers in the state-owned TEKEL combine in Istanbul, where management Demirel's instructions had also taken on numbers of known fascists, and trade union leaders had been killed.

And it also coincided with the call for a General Strike. against Demirel's new economic measures and répression from The four are Wang Dongxing -Mao's bodyguard and a vicpresident of the Central Committee; Wu De-the old Mayor of Peking; Chen Xilian-the old Commander of the Peking military region and Ji Dęngkiuformer first political commissar of the Peking military region.

Although they had been stripped previously of all army, party and civil administration positions, this nevertheless marked a break with that less pragmatic, pro-imperialist era Confiscating left wing literarure :3e let: confederation DISK.

In the event the DISK leadership has done. nothing more than organise two demonstrations in defence of "demo cracy" —one in Izmir and one in Antalya, which was attended by a crowd of 20-30,000 workers incensed at the government's actions.

Held back

But instead of mobilising the key sections of workers in strike action (almost all DISK members are currently in the midst of pay negotiations) the pre-Deng.

It is difficult to gauge if the dominant reason for this purge was the present arrogant confidence of the Deng leadership or its mortal tear of any opposition: :

He has brought into leading positions his strong supportersa decade younger than the old guara, thereby ensuring his succession.

•Hu Yaobang has been formally ensconsed in the recreated post of General SecrePOLIS DISK leaders have actually tried to hold back the struggles that have developed.

Assaulted

DISK oricials were assaulted D! 3DETY TARIS militanis aben ine: Joved in mith an appeal to "Zo back to sork". But such an approach stems from the political links between the DISK bureaucrats and bourgeois opposition party, Bulent Ecevit's RPP.

Ecevit keeps declaring that Demirel's new economic measures are modelled on Latin American dictatorships, and that they imply the destruction of "democracy"

But he insists that the way to fight back is through "democratic" , in other words Parliamentary means.

The TARIS workers however showed an-albeit inadetary of the central Committee, having been cited as such over a year ago.

Altogether 12 others have been brought into leading party positions, including the First Secretary of Sichuan, Zhao Ziyang who is tipped for high office.

Solid background

They have similar characteristics of being slightly younger than the top rank leadership, are firm Deng supporters, and have come from a solid techinical, economic or administrative background.

Clearly the most spectacular announcement from the plenum was the rehabilitation of Liu. There is to be a solemn ceremony in his memory where epithets such as "traitor, renegade. and scab" are to be expunged.

This gesture is symbolic in its implied criticism of Mao for being party to the attack on this "great Marxist"

This bureaucratic reshuffle is of more significance than the simple syndrome of "the King is dead, long live the King."

Greater Attacks It goes alongside greater attacks on the political rights of quate-understanding that what is necessary to confront the offensive of the employers and the state against the working class and its basic organisations is revolutionary struggle.

Without such a struggle the most basic democratic gains in the form of trade union rights, jobs and living standards, are at risk from a government hellbent on restoring. the fortunes of: Turkish and international capitalist firms at the expense of the working class.

Coordinate

Other sections of Turkish workers must follow the TARIS example. Occupation committees and soviet-type councils of action must be set up to coordinate and extend these struggles.

Armed detachments of workers militia must be formed to combat fascist and state the Chinese workers and peasants and frantic moves towards imperialism, particularly to assist them in whipping up Cold War hysteria against the old workers states.

Stricter discipline inside and outside the Party is to be emphasised.

Parts of the constitution enshrined in article 45 are to be deleted:

Especially odious "to the bureaucracy has been the wall poster campaign at the "democracy wall" in Peking. This right is to be revoked.

A new tightening up on discipline and correct behaviour is to be initiated with more stringent application of the new criminal code.

The Chinese bureaucracy was one of the first to leap in and condemn the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan-but not of course from the standpoint of the Afghan masses.

No-it appealed to US imperialism to step in and deal a blow against the Red Army.

The bureaucracy can expect its reward in greater military and economic assistance from the US butchers.

But it is going to need more than this to hold back the struggles of the oppressed masses which will continue to have its reflection among the billion Chinese.

'Trade union -and labour movement leaders must be forced to break from Ecevit and the RPP's fraudulent talk of democracy, and to mobilise the independent strength of the working class to defeat the Demirel regime and create the basis for a workers and peasants government in Turkey.

It is in this fight that the struggle to construct a Trotskyist party in Turkey as part of a reconstructed Fourth International takes on an even greater urgency.

Reconstruct the Fourth Internotional !!

No.'T Nov. 1979 DISCUSSION BULLETIN 60g THE TRANSITIONAL PROGRAMME IN TODAY'S CLASS Founding document of the Trotskyist International Liaison Committee Available, price 75p including postage from WSL, BM BOX 5277 LONDON WC1V 6XX

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