Strengthen the Unity of Workers and Fraternity of Peoples!

Workers, toilers, brothers/sisters!A bloody civil war is going on in Syria; tens of people are dying everyday, hundreds are being injured and thousands are migrating.

On the one side there is the Bashar al-Assad’s bloody dictatorship, on the other side there are various armed opposition groups. A part of these groups are formed by the mercenaries of the international Islamic organisations and they are also part of Free Syrian Army (FSA).

But, when we look the reality behind this picture, we see Russia, China and Iran behind the Assad’s regime; and Turkey, USA, Germany, France and Saudi Arabia behind the Free Syrian Army.

So, the war in Syria is not a war only between the Assad dictatorship and the opponents. It is also a war among the imperialist-capitalist forces. The rival imperialist-capitalist forces are fighting savagely through the medium of Syria and trying to dominate in the Middle East.

All workers and toilers have to see this big picture. The working class must see the reality and put forth its own independent attitude, without being part of the war plans of Russia and Iran which support the Assad’s regime or of Turkey and the USA which support the opponent forces.

When it comes to Syria, the working people in Turkey must be much more careful. Because the AKP government claims that they side with the oppressed and under this rhetoric they try to deceive the toiling masses and pursue their own capitalist interests.

Turkey embraces the FSA, tries to organise the opposition groups, arms and trains them. Thus Turkey already became an indirect part of the war in Syria.

Yet, just a year ago, Prime Minister Erdoğan was calling the tyrant Assad “my brother” and Turkey and Syria were holding joint cabinet meetings. The AKP government claimed that they removed the mutual visas, that they stood for the peace and put the policy of “zero problem with the neighbours” into practice, and through this rhetoric solicited votes of the toiling masses.

Now, the working masses should ask this question: Was not Assad a dictator at that time? Those who called the dictator “my brother” yesterday, now call him “executioner”. Why?

Let’s put it plainly: In fact, the real concern of Turkey and the AKP government is not the Syrian people who are deprived of their democratic rights, suffering under the dictatorship of Assad. Both Turkey and the USA and the other imperialist powers aim to realise their own plans by exploiting the plight of suffering Syrian people.

Let’s remember: as a result of popular revolts which started in Tunisia and Egypt, the dictators were overthrown in these two countries. The wave of revolt called “Arab Spring” spread over to the whole Middle East. The imperialist powers attempted to use the popular revolts for their interests and shape the region. The countries like France and Italy which kowtowed to the dictator Gaddafi until that day, declared war against Libya by the aid of the USA. And as always they shamelessly tried to legitimise the war with the rhetoric of “freedom” and “democracy”.

After that, the “Arab Spring” sprang to Syria and popular masses started to move for their democratic rights. But the cruel dictatorship of Assad suppressed the democratic demands of the people in blood. Seizing on the opportunity the imperialist powers raised the issue of an intervention in Syria to pursue their interests. Seeing this, AKP and Turkey, which had been kept away from the game in Libya and had not taken a satisfactory share from the loot, came forward rapidly in order not to fall into the same situation in Syria, and “brother” Assad became “executioner” Assad overnight!

While this is the reality, they say shamelessly that they are on the side of the oppressed!

Syria is the door of a war that could set all the Middle East on fire. We know very well that after Syria, Iran is on the line. 

It is unthinkable that Turkey, which already has been a part of the civil war in Syria, will keep out of a regional war. Moreover the AKP government and the bosses do not want to keep out of this imperialist division war.

Inside, they provoke sectarianism on the axis of Sunnism-Alavism and seek to legitimise a possible intervention in Syria on the basis of religious sect differences.

They oppose even the Kurds in Syria attaining their democratic rights.

Even the smallest democratic demand of the Kurdish people is suppressed brutally. Turkish and Kurdish young people from toiling families die in the spring of their lives for the Kurdish question is not solved. The political parties of capital like the AKP and the MHP are gaining political advantages by inciting hostility towards Kurds.

Yet the continuing unjust war is against the interests of Turkish workers and toilers. When the democratic demands of Kurdish people are met, Turkish workers will not be the losing side but the winning side. Because as the Kurdish question goes on unsolved, the parties of capital as well as the bosses themselves will keep setting the workers from the two nations against each other and preventing them from uniting for their rights. When the Kurdish question is solved, the fraternity of Turkish and Kurdish people will be strengthened, the prejudices will be broken and the road to workers’ unity will be opened.

We must be alert: there is a great danger awaiting workers and peoples.

If the war in Syria will expand with the active intervention of Turkey and the other imperialist forces, all the Middle East will be set on fire. Expansion of the war in the Middle East; and provoking peoples and communities against one another in Turkey, will bring about great tragedies.

It is futile to expect reason from capitalists and their governments. If they had had reason, there would not have been two world wars and tens of millions of people would not have died.

Only the working masses can prevent the madness of the AKP and the rulers of Turkey who venture to patronise the Middle East in their quest for markets and investment fields.

The working masses must say no to imperialist intervention in Syria in their opposition to the oppression of Syrian people under Assad dictatorship. They must resist secterianist and nationalist provocations and demand the democratic demands of Kurdish people be met. Then unity of workers and fraternity of peoples will have really been strengthened. For the unity of Arab, Turk, Kurd, Persian workers and fraternity of peoples, we must vigorously call out: No to imperialist wars! Peace for the Middle East! Freedom to Kurdish people!