Turkey struggles
for democratic__
advancement,

workers’

rights

Turkey has reached a crisis point in its political
_ development. As the accompanying article points

out, the defeat of the shortlived minority govern-

ment of the People’s Republic Party threatens to
plunge Turkey back into the depths of right-wing
reaction. This eye-witness report tells not only of
this year’s May Day massacre in Istanbul, but of-
fers an insight into the forces at work, and the
determination of the working class to win victories
for the laboring masses and for democracy.

By NICOLE DILEKSEL
Special to the Tribune
ISTANBUL

At two o’clock on May 1, 1977,
Under bright skies one million
Turkish workers, progressives
and students gathered to cele-
brate International Workers’ Day
in Istanbul. Six hours later 80
People were dead and hundreds
Wounded.

The day, organized by DISK
(The Confederation of Revolu-
tionary Trade Unions of Turkey)
around the theme of anti-fascism
Was in support of “‘A forward
democratic system’, with the
first step to be brought about by
the election of the CHP (Peoples’
Republican Party), a party with
left-wing social democratic aims,
In elections on June 5, 1977.

_May Day, illegal in Turkey
Since 1924, was being celebrated
for the second time, the first being
held in 1976. As unions and pro-
STessive groups gathered at their
appointed starting areas hopes
Were high and the music and danc-
Ing of the traditional groups from
all around Turkey added to the
ive mood.

K security was strong,
20,000 red T-shirted workers
lined the sides of the streets allow-
Ing nobody to pass through into
the procession. The people of
Istanbul were out in force, clap-
Ping and cheering, and some cry-
Ing, to see their workers and stu-
dents parading to Taksim Square,

Singing revolutionary songs and-

ches.

Rumors had been flying in the
Press the day before, claiming
that 20,000 armed Maoists would
ny to “‘take-over’’ the day. The

a0ists had been asked, as had
all Participating groups and

Ons, to walk under unified slo-
8ans. The Maoists refused, say-
Ing they would walk under their
Own. DISK, taking responsibility
for the day, said they would not
be able to attend the DISK meet-
Ng under those conditions.

€ square was filling, and still
there Were more people coming.
€t them come’’, said the DISK
rganizer from the speakers’
Podium, as the red flags kept com-
'ng, and coming from the Associa-
10n of Teachers, the Organiza-
tion of Progressive Women, and
Union upon union.
At 7 p.m. the last of the parad-
€Ts were in the square and many
_ had overfiown to the park behind.
The DISK leader, Kemal Turk-
ler, began his speech. A declara-
tion was made to call Taksim
Square ‘‘May Day Square’’ and a
Yow to ‘‘unite all our strength to
t fascism and all reaction’’.

At 7:20 as Kemal Turkler was

finishing his speech a heavy

chanting was heard from the right
of the speakers’ podium, followed
by shots at the DISK security
workers as the Maoists tried to
break through into the crowd. As
the crowd drew the speaker’s at-
tention to the shooting, a heavy
barrage of shots came from a dif-
ferent area to the right of the
speakers aimed directly into the
crowd, these were the shots of the
fascists. 5

As the crowd started to sway,
and panic spread, snipers from
the roof of the Intercontinental
Hotel and adjoining roofs aimed
directly into the crowd. Children
were separated from their
mothers, pregnant women
crushed as the panzers of the riot
police moved in throwing ‘noise
bombs’”’ adding more confusion.

A white Renault and a blue car
circled the square firing machine
guns as they went. This was no
rash Maoist act, this was a plan-
ned fascist attack, aided, albeit
unwittingly, by the Maoists who
started the panic which allowed

the snipers and fascist comman-

dos to move in.

The square was clearing,
friends carried their dead and
wounded away, and still the firing
continued. A DISK organizer re-
mained on the podium the whole
time, directing people to the
safest escape route. When 1,500
to 2,000 people remained on the
steps around the speakers an oath
was taken by all present to ‘‘Fight,
to the end against fascism, im-
perialism, and all reaction to the
last drop of our blood’.

The massacre was over, and
Turkey waited for the news of the
death toll, 33 dead, 39 dead and
the numbers grew — a 15-year-
old girl, 6 teachers, 5 women, a
6-year-old child and many
workers.

Who was responsible for this
massacre? i

According to the right-wing
press this was a clash between
“leftists and trade unionists”’.
But the truth, to which one mil-
lion workers were witness, and as
stated in the democratic press in
Turkey on May 3 in an interview
with Kemal Turkler, is ‘‘the May
Day Massacre was a planned ac-
tion by the National Front gov-
ernment, the Turkish National In-
telligence organization (MIT), the
CIA, organized armed fascist
commandos and Maoist
fascists’’. aoe

The terror campaign by Tur-
key’s fascists and right wing goes
back many years. However, the
National Front Coalition Gov-
ernment formed in March 1975,
comprising the AP (Justice Par-
ty), the MSP (National Salvation
Party), the CGP (Republican Re-
liance Party), and the Nazi type

& eh =

. Re

eS 4

Photo shows preparations taking place for the May Day celebration in Istanbul organized by the central

trade union body, DISK. Trucks are bringing in more workers to attend the festivities. Later that day over 80
people lay dead and hundreds more wounded after fascists, aided by the Maoists attacked the gathering.

fascist MHP (Nationalist Action
Party), stepped up this campaign
when they tried to implement the
“State Security Courts”’ legisla-
tion. These courts were estab-
lished during the short-lived right
wing military coup d’etat in 1971
which sent thousands of patriots
to prisons, to the gallows and into
the hands of merciless torturers.
It was these ‘‘government’’ sec-
urity courts that the National
Front was trying to prolong.
Prior to the June 5 general elec-
tions, the NF government realiz-
ing the force of the working class
and the popularity of the CHP
(Peoples’ Republican Party)
started waging a terror campaign
aimed at scaring voters away
from the polls. May Day was part
of this campaign. The Communist
Party of Turkey (TKP), outlawed
since 1921, and DISK, called for
-all democratic forces to increase
their struggle against the NF gov-
ernment around the. following
slogans:
e Ban the fascist Nationalist Ac-
tion Party and its youth organiza-
tion;
e Clear the fascists from the state
organs;
e Abolish fascist laws and arti-
cles 141, 142 and 146 in the penal
codes;

e Freedom to the .Communist
Party of Turkey; .
e Right to vote at the age of 18;
e Recognize the right of workers
employed in Europe to vote;
e The NF Government must be
overthrown before the elections
and the general elections held
under a temporary government
formed by democratic, patriotic
forces;
e Turkish army out of Cyprus;
e Turkey out of NATO and
CENTO;
e The leaders of the treacherous
NF government must be arrested
and must be punished with the
judgement of the people;
e The revolutionary establish-
ment of an advanced democracy
which grows into socialism. _
The elections of June 5th were
held. The NF scare tactics were
only partly successful, for people
turned out at the polls and the
CHP (Peoples Republican Party)
received 213 of the 450 seats. 13
short of the majority they needed
to form a government. Fahri
Korutuk the president of Turkey
asked Mr. B. Ecevit, leader of the
CHP, to form a coalition govern-
ment. Unable to get the National
Salvation Party to coalign Mr.
Ecevit formed a government with
his 213 seats.

On June 28th the CHP program
was read to the National Assem-
bly — they failed to receive the
vote of confidence necessary for
their continuance in power. If the
vote had been received the road
would have been open for democ-
racy. Now the pro-fascist right-
wing coalition will come back into
power bringing more political vio-
lence, death and suffering to the
people of Turkey.

The Turkish working class will
oppose fascism and oppression
brought by this reactionary gov-
ernment, and, with the support of
democratic forces everywhere,
will refuse to serve the aims of
aggression and economic ban-

kruptcy.

A mass movement with com- _

munists, socialists, social-
democrats and all democratic and
patriotic anti-fascist forces join-
ing in a united front is the first
essential scheme for the struggle
in Turkey.

“Only the revolutionary activ-
ity of the working class can help
to take advantage of the conflicts
which inevitably arise within the
bourgeois camp in order to
undermine the fascist dictator-
ship and to overthrow it.’’—
Dimitrov

The right to work —
a basic human right

By FILS DELISLE

BERLIN — The German
Democratic Republic’s parlia-
ment has given final approval to a
new version of the country’s
Labor Code, which guarantees
every citizen the right to suitable
employment, proper leisure time,
holidays, and a_ never-ending
improvement in working
conditions.

The revised Labor Code,
which incorporates all the laws
governing employment, was
hailed by speakers in the parlia-
mentary discussion, by the press
and by the general public as the
most massive array of human
rights in German history.

Compared to the rights guaran-
teed working people by the Code,
all labor legislation in Western
capitalist countries, despite ad-
vances won there through hard
class battles, is historically far in
the rear.

Thus in the socialist GDR to-

day, the revised Code not only
guarantees
everyone, it also guarantees the
equality of the sexes, legally and
in terms of equal wages for equal
work, it protects and furthers
young people. It brings the
worker into a position where no-
thing, ultimately, can be decided
without his approval, it ensures
wages based on the quality and
quantity of work. It provides for
training of workers, leisure time,
recreation and holidays, mea-
sures to protect the workers’
health, to enrich the workers’ cul-
tural lives, to provide care and aid
in old age and cases of accidents,
without reference to creed, relig-
ion or race.

Guenter Mittag, a member of
the political bureau of the
Socialist Unity Party, speaking in
parliament in support of the re-
vised Code, said: ‘‘Only where
labor is free is the human being
free — namely, in socialism. Our

employment to.

“Only where labor is free is the
human being free.”

code of labor laws is firmly based
on the principle, so deeply rooted
in our socialist system, that
guarantees the basic human right
to work to every person without
exception. It is based on the prin-
ciple that greater results in the
labor process lead to an uninter-
rupted improvement of the cul-
tural standard of living of the
people.”’ :

PACIFIC TRIBUN E—JULY 15, 1977—Page 5