Kurdish Youth are here
Mustafa Karasu, 15.12.2010
When an egg protest at the Faculty of Political Science happened, I remember a historical protest 35 years ago at the same faculty. Before telling of that protest, it would be better to evaluate government approach to the student actions. Turkey´s current government does not want any opposition. Indeed, there is a complete fascist government.
The police have freedom to carry out almost any kind of persecution. The police again used the freedom to torture at Dolmabahce Palace street. A woman dropped her baby and a young person´s face has been injured. Dozens of young have been hit.
The response to this event was really exemplary. Rather than an open investigation, the AKP and media blamed youth on this issue. So, by stating "why a pregnant woman should have been there" they take side of the police. They condemned youth by questioning why young people protested while the prime minister was holding a meeting at Dolmabahce Palace.
Some of people accepted that police had used excessive force but why young people did not leave when they were warned to leave. By saying this they had found the youth guilty, too.
The Prime Minister judged the fifty people´s protest as a trap. Sometimes expressing how public supports him, the prime minister raised the harshest voice against the fifty young people.
Burhan Kuzu, after the word of prime minister such as trap, emphasised that some people wanted to make a coup and he showed young people as instigators of that. A pro-AKP newspaper, alluding to "organized work" tried to create a doubt. That could be said to be a conspiracy theory.
This mentality was expressed in the paradigm of all powers during cold war period. A power was being searched behind all oppositions. The AKP government now has a similar mentality.
Burhan Kuzu presumed to condemn young people, expressing "whatever bad things we had, they were because of 1968".
In fact the movements in 1968 were against the capitalist system and for real socialism with freedom and democracy. The events of 1968 had a great effect in developing the culture of democracy and freedom in the 20th century. Political scientists and sociologists agree on that. However, books by historians and professors of the AKP accuse the youth for such as the coups of 1971 and 1980.
The 1968 youth movement of Turkey was a milestone in the development of democracy and freedom. Youth is a chance for Turkey to deal with social problems at that level. Although they have some critical aspects, the 1968 youth movement created the most powerful movement of democratization in Turkey.
After becoming a border outpost of the US, Turkey, in fear of developing democracy, conducted in private a dirty war against youth and all democratic forces. That is an indisputable fact that coups of March 12 and September 12 were attacks against the left groups and democracy forces.
The spokesmen of AKP, by expressing the view that those young people are few and 99 % of them think only of their courses, have shown what kind of student they wanted.
An apolitical student is not interested in social issues is encouraged. Youth policy and applications created by coup September 12 are maintained by AKP government.
Clearly they are uncomfortable dealing with youth social problems. Because they know that those students will not accept the self-seeking policies of AKP. For this reason, they want students who will only study. This is usually the fascist mentality government. Fascists think the right for the entire community, so do they for youth.
Therefore student should be prepare themselves for the capitalist system by reading their books and staying in the lab.
Democratic forces are sensitive to young people´s actions, they take them into account and they meet demands. There is no smoke without fire.
If there is not any situation bothering young people, no one can make rhyme to young people for protesting. However, governments in Turkey
have never come close to demands of young people as democrats. The police have used violence against young people all the time.
In this regard, AKP has been doing the same as past governments.
Turkish government completely reacts like emotions of gerontocracy. They see young
people as ignorant and those not know anything. Indeed, the AKP is acting like a gerontocracy (the old school) saying protestors are brainless youth.
In Turkey, the police have always used pressure to young people. For this reason, the repressive regime in Turkey has become a symbol of police violence against young people. Now those claiming to be against the status quo and at the side of democracy, they have become traditional defenders of the status quo.
There is no need to tell of the severity of the police in Kurdistan. They pursued a form of violence that cannot be seen even in fascist countries.
What they did to a young Kurdish´s face, how they kicked a woman in the head and what they did to a child; these are still in memories.
Now some media who pressing violence of the AKP, we know that even they hide the violence done in Kurdistan.
When the police violence is condemned and the demands of demonstrators are met, that will be called a development of democracy. Otherwise, current regime in Turkey could be called as stock or militaristic.
Now, this information about in the history of political protest, let us explain. The year 1975 (on a winter day), was the anniversary of Faculty of Political Sciences. The Prime Minister, Sadi Irmak, had come to talk. The speech was held in the same lecture in which Burhan Kuzu threw the eggs.
There were about 7-8 Apocu (Kurdish Apocu Movement) studying at the faculty at that time. 5-6 of those Apocu participated in this meeting. The overcrowded lecture was full of students, there were probably 500-600 students.
The Prime Minister came to the podium. He began his speech "My dear Turkish youth". Just after he said these words, 5-6 students shouted "Kurdish youths are here". There was silence at the lecture, then the PM said the same words dear Turkish youth. He received the same response, "Kurdish youths are here". At first a group of students from the back applauded that reaction. Again Sadi Irmak said Turkish youths and same reaction. This time majority of lecture applauded. Last time, Sadi Irmak wanted to go on his speech but again he had same protest and applause to the protest. Sadi Irmak did not do his speech and he left the lecture.
That was not a planned protest. When Sadi Irmak started with Turkish youth Apocu students did not accept that claim according to their beliefs.
Who can say this protest was unfair? Who can say you should listen to the prime minister like a lamb?
Two days after this event, a popular politician of the time deputy of Kayseri and leader of Trust Party, Turan Feyzioglu took that event to raise questions. In his speech, in a Turkish faculty just because the PM said beloved Turkish youth he has not been led to speak.
After that he pointed this event as an example of the level of divisions in Turkey and he wanted precautions to be taken. Anyone who wants to have further information about Turan’s speech can look at the archives.
In this case, instead of blaming the prime minister who said dear Turkish youth, those who rightly protested him have been condemned.
Kurdish youths were right to interrupt Sadi Irmak. If that would have been considered a true protest and those Kurdish would have been considered and if their demands would have been considered, this kind of approach would be beneficial for Turkey in history. But to do so, it has been said that how much separatism had been highlighted.
What are the duties of politicians? To detect divisions in society and to find solutions. Protest of Apocu in Political Science and reactions to that is an examplary in this regard.
Instead of drawing conclusions from the egg protest event, to make it a full investigation is political blindness. This is a fascist mentality and practise. A wise government will ask the reasons for these protests and takes steps to eliminate these reactions.
The protest at the faculty of Political Science is a growing protest against the attacks at Dolmabahce. It has shown the reaction in all its severity of the police and Burhan Kuzu has not been let to speak. If the government allows violence of the police against young people and if government blames young people, they will only continue to develop these reactions among young people.
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