UID-DER’s Message to RMT Members Who Are in Solidarity with Palestinian People

Dear RMT members, class brothers&sisters,

We are writing to you from Turkey. As members of Association of International Workers Solidarity (UID-DER) we extend our warmest greetings to you. Seventy-seven years ago, supported by imperialist powers, Israel inflicted the “Great Catastrophe” (Nakba) upon the Palestinian people and has continued its oppression for decades. Today, with the backing of imperialist states such as the United States and the United Kingdom, Israel is once again committing genocide in Gaza. As workers living in Turkey, we feel profound sorrow and anger in our hearts in the face of this ongoing massacre and destruction targeting the people of Palestine.

As class-conscious workers, we know that throughout history, wherever there has been oppression, there have also been those who have risen up against it. Amidst the darkness created by imperialist powers—who have turned the world into a hell of war and inflicted suffering upon peoples—voices of solidarity are rising from all corners of the globe. We are closely following from Turkey the actions in the United Kingdom, where hundreds of thousands of workers have been taking to the streets in uninterrupted protest for the past 19 months. The fact that our class siblings in the UK are filling the streets with a demand for peace gives us all strength and hope. In particular, the strong participation of the RMT and other trade unions, as well as their principled stance, greatly reinforces our sense of hope.

We, who live in Turkey, are situated in a region that has for years been engulfed in flames due to imperialist wars—from Iraq to Afghanistan, from Syria to Yemen, from Libya to Palestine. We are acutely aware that in such a region, it is of vital importance to strengthen the struggle for workers’ unity and the brotherhood of peoples. For this reason, wherever we are—within trade unions across various sectors, in factories, neighbourhoods, and schools—we are working to organise resistance against capitalist exploitation and imperialist wars. Unfortunately, in Turkey, due to the current political regime, it is not possible to organise mass demonstrations against this bloody massacre. Nevertheless, the government claims to support the Palestinian people. Those who can best understand this contradiction are you, our class siblings, who also face the same kind of hypocritical policies from your own rulers. In this sense, the hundreds of thousands of workers filling the streets in the UK against imperialist war policies are not only standing against Israel and the United States but also against the duplicitous policies of their own ruling classes. The honourable stance of the RMT is one of the strongest expressions of international solidarity—it is truly inspiring.

As organised workers striving to strengthen unity, solidarity, and the struggle of the working class, we know that the working class and its struggle cannot be divided by national borders. Your cry rising from the squares of the UK is a powerful reflection of the shared, cross-border struggle of workers. For this reason, your fight in solidarity with the people of Palestine holds deep meaning and value for us. We believe that true peace and freedom can only be achieved through the international unity and solidarity of the working class. With the hope that our struggles will grow side by side, we send you our heartfelt solidarity and wish you continued strength and success.

Long live the international unity of workers’ struggle!
The people of Palestine are not alone!
Only the workers can bring peace to the world!

Association of International Workers Solidarity (UID-DER)