It is one of the phrases that should be emphasized the most in the process we are going through today. In our region where oppression, lies, cruelty and darkness prevail, resisting is the one and only way to live a humane and honorable life.
Our word is to those whose hearts are beating with those in the earthquake zone. Our word is to those who took action for solidarity from the first day, who gathered support with sleepless eyes, and who asked, “Who will answer for the lives we lost?” as their hearts were burning. Our word is to you, to us, to those on our side.
Those who are the same are in same side, others in the other side.
While the sovereigns and those on that side were rubbing their hands to share the new profit market in the earthquake zones; while they were making plans to depopulate Hatay as a border region and place gangs there; they competed for a place in the Palace’s one-heart campaign show and donated to the Palace’s chests what they stole from the public. And in the middle of this show, they said: “We have millions of dollars, what do your food parcels, what does the heater that you sent solve?” They jingled their money bags to suppress the cry of millions of people “There is no state, there is the people”.
The Palace Regime, which tries to maintain its existence through the economy of war, looting, profit, is dissolving, and as it dissolves, it attacks and suppress the masses through intimidation. However, their efforts are in vain. Despite all these policies of suppression, the streets are ringing with the voices and actions of workers-laborers, revolutionaries, women, youth and students. On March 12, 1995, we saw that the walls of fear created by the state with the coup of September 12, 1980 were demolished, barricade fires were re-lit in the streets, and that we could resist the panzers with stones and sticks. We bid farewell to our comrades who were martyred during this resistance towards the sun; their memories, struggles, fights are with us.
Although 28 years have passed, the Gazi Resistance is guiding us, just like the great workers’ resistance of 15-16 June, just like Gezi. Today, our streets are under the blockade of the state, which is trying to re-build the walls of fear. Corruption and gangs are fed and grown by the state; however, the entire neighborhood as a whole, especially the revolutionary and democratic individuals and institutions, is under total attack. We remember; Pınar Gemsiz, the mother of a 3-month-old baby, who was shot by a police bullet on the balcony of her house; Barış Kerem and Oğuzhan Erkul, who were killed by the police bullet without any reason while returning from a birthday celebration.
Our duty today is to come together. It is to unite our voices against injustice, lawlessness, darkness, oppression and cruelty, to join forces and to walk towards the light with courage.
We invite you to organized struggle, to be a part of the resistance, to organize in the ranks of Kaldıraç.
We are calling on you to shout the name of our martyrs, to embrace the resistance, to the streets and to action on March 12, in the 28th year of the Gazi Resistance.
Kaldıraç Istanbul
March 10, 2023
