Pass this on!
PEOPLE’S HOUSES:
WE URGE THE PROGRESSIVE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
FOR URGENT SOLIDARITY ACTIONS WITH PEOPLE OF TURKEY!
Dear brothers and sisters, dear friends of the democratic people’s movement in Turkey!
Istanbulites are under brutal attack and violence of the police and
gendarmarie forces since 15th June evening when the police attack
against Gezi Park started after the heavy provocations of PM Erdogan.
The city is under clouds of tear gas of all kinds, including the
prohibited kinds, used over all limits. Taksim square looks like a war
field and now is closed to public access. Rubber bullets, water cannons
scorching chemicals-acid and blast bombs are widely utilized until the
first hours of this morning. There are queues of naked people waiting
for aid in front of hospitals, yet hospitals and hotels that are used as
shelters are also attacked with gas, over and over. Hotels around
Taksim square are being evacuated due to extreme use of gas; numerous
children are lost and heavily affected during the tear gas attack; a
pregnant women lost her 3,5 months old baby. 132 people are reported to
be seriously injured and 5 people are burnt due to chemical use.
Briefly the JDP government is waging a war against its own citizens by
committing crimes of humanity: attacking hospitals and volunteering
health care personnel; using tear gas and other chemicals inside houses,
hotels and hospitals; closing the identity numbers on the police
helmets; exercising widespread censorship over freedom of press; putting
limitations over the Internet and prevention of media access. Police
and gendarmarie forces attacked against thousands of Istanbulites
marching from every corner of Istanbul in order to reach the Taksim
square until sunrise by cutting the main highways and even walking
across the Bosphorus bridge. Many people who are witnessed to be
arrested by police cannot be found in the police stations.
Despite this war-like attack is evidenced by visual material and
personal witnessing of various respectful members of the progressive
international community, Istanbul governor and other government members
claim that the police operation was “smooth” and no one was seriously
injured. This discourse, beyond being a humiliation of the pains and
suffering of Istanbulites, is heralding new crimes of humanity that are
planned to be committed by the government following the “victory
meetings” of PM Erdogan, today in Istanbul after the one yesterday in
Ankara.
This brutal attack of the police forces
should be stopped. The government is and will be responsible for the
following events. We urge the progressive international community to
strongly remind the JDP government its responsibility with all available
means.
The mainstream media which is spreading
disinformation in favour of a government which is waging war against its
all people should be strongly reminded its democratic responsibilities.
We are seriously concerned with the health status of our citizens who
are injured and would be injured. We urge the progressive international
community especially to warn the government about the attacks against
the children, pregnant women, injured citizens, voluntary health
personnel, temporary health shelters and hospitals.
Yesterday
evening ten thousands of people marched from every corner of Istanbul
and today this march will continue. It is not possible to stop this
march of our people.
We urge the progressive international community to start urgent solidarity actions with this democratic march of our people.
Oya Ersoy
People’s Houses Chairperson