We share the pain of all our people affected by the earthquake.
With earthquakes of magnitude of 7.7 and 7.6 and hundreds of aftershocks, 10 cities suffered great destruction. The whole country was directly and indirectly affected by the earthquake. The Maraş-centered earthquake caused serious destruction in nearby regions, especially in Syria.
We know that the earthquake alone did not cause such great destruction. The destruction experienced is the result of the order based on profit, looting, war, exploitation and the greed to gain more, ignoring human and all living life. Tens of thousands of buildings, primarily residences, hospitals and airports, were destroyed or severely damaged. Despite all this destruction, the extent of which was seen at the first glance, the intervention of the state mechanism in the region as a whole was delayed. There have been serious problems, especially in coordination, and our people waiting to be rescued under the rubble were left to die. Volunteer groups were not organized by AFAD and they were faced bureaucratic and arbitrary obstacles from the first moment. The coordination of the volunteers who carried out search and rescue work in the field with their own efforts was not provided, they were not even given the tools they were missing. All these and more have caused the destruction to have more serious consequences. This situation once again revealed the true mission of the state of capital. The state of capital has shown once again the fact that it is the coercive apparatus of the ruling classes over the millions who create all wealth with their labor. At the current stage, they do not even feel the need to hide this mission, considering it as a priority to retrieve the banks’ safes under the rubble.
Erdoğan and other officials who went to the region, let alone ensuring that steps were taken to speed up the work, showed an obstructive attitude instead. Their convoys prevented construction equipment, search teams, relief supplies, ambulances, etc. from reaching the area. Those who paralyzed the roads in the earthquake zone with their protection army declared a state of emergency here and waved their fingers at the people and institutions that reported the facts and mobilized to heal the wounds in the region. They shamelessly explained the serious destruction and loss of life which resulted from the measures they did not take, the controls they did not make, the policies of profit and plunder, as “destiny”. We ask those who explain everything by saying “destiny”, “course of nature”, then why do you travel with an army of protection, live in high-security residences, drive vehicle? Why not put yourself in the hands of fate? Why is your understanding of “destiny” only valid for the millions, but not for you…
It is clear that they will not respond. Because they know very well that it is the policies they follow that cause the death of so many of our people. For this reason, they still act to protect the interests of the class they represent in every step they take and every word they say.
Now is the time to grow solidarity and struggle even more.
Despite the serious destruction, the AKP, the government of capital, has shown its reactionary face once again by displaying a discriminatory attitude between regions, cities and neighborhoods. What needs to be done is to take the steps that will minimize the consequences of the destruction experienced as soon as possible, without further delay. For this, all the means of the public and private sectors should be mobilized.
All production should be stopped except for the areas that meet the urgent and compulsory needs, especially in the areas affected by the earthquake and the surrounding cities. All employees should be considered on paid leave until the physical and psychological destruction caused by the earthquake in the region and surrounding cities are resolved.
Capitalism’s greed for profit is chiefly responsible for the destruction of cities. The political power, which is part of the order, cannot overcome the destruction and the emerging crisis. They are in the process of turning the destruction faced by millions into political gain. The efforts of professional chambers, trade unions, health organizations, democratic mass organizations, etc., institutions and solidarity organizations, to reduce the effects of destruction are extremely meaningful and important. However, it is possible for these efforts to yield stronger results by being more effective and proactive.
All workers and laborers must stand against the efforts of the state and related institutions that prevent, target, threaten, incite the society by inciting hostility towards immigrants, and cover up the facts. In order to nullify the divisive perception created by the racist fascist gangs through the biased and controlled media, they should spread and enlarge the action-based reaction that reveals the facts.
As seen in hundreds of examples both in the ’99 earthquake and its aftermath, the aid sent by millions of people to the regions is given not to those in real need, but again for profit, to the hands of religious sect foundations, Kızılay and AFAD.
Undoubtedly, those responsible for this situation is not AFAD employees or volunteers, but the profit-seeking and plundering managers. In order to ensure that the aid provided to the earthquake zone is used in accordance with its purpose, efforts should be made to open the whole process to the participation of democratic mass organizations, to the public’s inspection and to transparent conduct.
The consequences of earthquakes that drag millions to destruction are preventable. However, this is not possible in a capitalist system based on profit and plunder. We invite all sensitive institutions to quickly take the above steps and take responsibility in order to minimize the destruction caused by the earthquake both in our own region and in neighboring countries, and to make solidarity stronger and directed to the purpose. In order to prevent new destructions and deaths, we call on everyone to grow the struggle against the system of capitalist barbarism, the enemy of humanity and all living life .
Workers-Laborers Union
13.02.2023
Deprem enkazına yetişmekte geç kalan saray iktidarı Mecidiyeköy'de yapacağımız açıklamaya saldırmakta gecikmedi. Depremde ölen halkımızın faillerini biliyoruz. Her birinizden tek tek hesap soracağız.
"Bu deprem değil bir katliamdır"#cevahiravm pic.twitter.com/X6SCpSRHsB
— İşçi Emekçi Birliği (@isciemekci_) February 13, 2023
