TURKEY: no confidence in generals' "impartial" stance

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funeral of fascist terror victim before the cou The Turkish junta, after a period of littl e mass resistance or mass struggles, is beginning to flex its muscles.

But it is doing so in a limited and particular way.

The "even-handed" approach necessary to appear "above" the struggle has been shown by the execution of a right winger and a left winger on October 9.

Subsequently, more from both "sides" have been sentenced to death.

But this is because the military dictatorship does not yet feel it has the strength to take on the working class directly.

It sees the immediate threat as coming from the fascist National Action Party led by Turkes.

For this reason, only four days after the initial hangings, Turkes and 28 NAP, leaders were charged with arming the people against eachother for mass massacre" , a charge carrying a minimum sentence of 20 years, while bourgeois political leaders Ecevit and Demirel were released.

Also released were right wing reactionary Erbakau (later rearrested) and important leaders of the left wing trade union confederation DISK, who remain free.

The action f also dic! generals Army.

fear of pro provocative tive om the right p ot bly ited the shuffli '37 between posts 1N the The junta, unable as yet itself to defeat the working class in open conflict, must shackle the forces that have been consciously striving towards civil war.

But the conflict with the working class must come.

Despite the "civilised" diplomatic activity with Greece and the four-hour negotiations with NATO Commander Rodgers, the policies that will determine the fate of the military dictatorship are those decided by the IMF bankers.

Evren and Co. cannot in reality stand above the imperialist crisis.

Attempts to direct workers' pension funds towards being used as capitalist credit, the further devaluation of the Turkish lira, and now further sweeping price rises, show that the reactionary economic policy of Ecevit/Demirel has been taken over bag and baggage by the generals.

An undefeated working class will not remain passive indefinitely. And at that point the imperialists and the Turkish bourgeoisie may think twice about the suppression of the one sure defence of capitalism in its death throes, the mass fascist party.

Workers in Turkey must prepare now for the inevitable end of Evren's fragile balancing act.

The definitive defeat of fascism in the streets will only workers' organisations.

No confidence can be placed No confidence can be placed in the military junta's present liberal face.

Just as Ecevit betrayed the workers he claimed to represent by introducing martial law and IMF policies at the behest of imperialism, so will Evren be forced to take on the working class, or be forcibly replaced by those who will. is allowed to die, the blood will be on the hands not only of the Tories and the military chiefs but also those of the labour bureaucrats who have so long

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