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ERDOGAN RESISTS REPUBLIC DAY CELEBRATION, OPPOSITION IS DEFIANT
PanARMENIAN.Net
November 1, 2012
The police used truncheons and tear gas to stop anti-government
rallies; clashes resulted in arrests and injuries.
Turkey celebrated 89th anniversary of the Turkish Republic, and the
festivities were quite original; protest rallies were held against
Erdogan's government and personally the Turkish Prime Minister. Tens
of thousands of people gathered at Ulus square in Ankara timing their
action to the anniversary of the country's establishment.
PanARMENIAN.Net - Official festivities were sanctioned to take
place only at Ankara hippodrome and were attended by the country's
leadership. However, the key opposition Republican People's Party
(CHP), as well as the Workers' Party (IP) along with about 40 NGOs
decided to hold a "mobilization manifestation"; the action was to
start at the building of the first parliament of Turkey and then move
to the mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic.
Approximately 6000 police officers were providing for the security;
they used truncheons and tear gas to stop anti-government rallies.
People were injured, some were arrested. According to opposition media,
the police blocked entry to the city to bar the way of about a hundred
of buses with opposition activists on board who headed for Ankara to
take part in the action.
Participants of the action blamed the current Islamist government for
infringement upon Turkey's secular bases. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader
of CHP labeled this as agony of Erdogan's regime. "Erdogan speaks
about human rights in Syria, while he has trampled on all democratic
values in his country. All this demonstrates that we are just a step
away from authoritarianism," he said. It is worth noting that hundreds
of opposition journalists are jailed on charge of mythic conspiracy.
The army is demoralized. Almost all officers are arrested on suspicion
of plotting a military coup d'etat to overthrow the government.
Meanwhile, the army has always been the guardian of the secular
regime. However, the Islamists have staked on the people who have
remained ignorant, fanatic, and uneducated through all these 89 years.
Current president Abdullah Gul is the only one lacking a general rank,
a mandatory condition in Turkey until 2002. Prime Minister Erdogan is
not much keen on army either. The poem that entailed a 10-month jail
sentence upon him in 1998 has the following ending: "Mosques are our
caserns, domes are our helmets, and minarets are our bayonets. Our
soldiers are full of faith." Meanwhile, Turkey has been developing
as a secular republic, with authoritarian governance and army's
intervention aimed at maintenance of this very model of development.
Naturally, the Islamists make every effort to eliminate the cult of
Ataturk that has been successfully enrooted during 70 years. Such
plan will hardly satisfy Turkey's secular sector that votes for the
CHP and anyone other than the Justice and Development Party (AKP).
AKP wrested the victory during the recent elections; gaining 49% of
votes it did not manage to form a constitutional majority. In fact,
half of the country voted against Erdogan. Also, inevitable forgery
took place, and administrative resources were used. However, this is
not very important. Erdogan is getting troublesome news from Syria.
Kurdish military troops that have maintained neutrality in the
Syrian conflict until recent, have now started to fight against the
opposition troops in Aleppo. If Bashar Assad manages to use this and
maintain the tendency, the balance of powers in the Syrian war may
be altered to favour him. The Kurds constitute over 10 per cent of
Syria's population; if they back the governmental troops not only in
Aleppo but other parts as well, this will cause serious problems for
the opposition.
Participants of the hostilities against the opposition mostly
represented troops of the Democratic Union party closely linked to
the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which is engaged in armed fight
against the authorities of neighbouring Turkey. Turkey is much active
in supporting the Syrian opposition, and recently appeared on the verge
of armed conflict with Damascus after a number of frontier incidents.
If Kurds interfere in this, Turkey will face an unpleasant situation.
Hypothetically, the Turkish Kurds may unite with the Syrian and Iraqi
ones, and even those in Iran, which may result in implementation of
another U.S. project, namely the Great Kurdistan. Unlike Erdogan,
the Turkish opposition actively cooperates with the Kurds, and the
outcome of this potential alliance is easy to predict: Islamists
may be overthrown, and special national elections may be organized,
in strict compliance with the democratic norms.
PanARMENIAN.Net
November 1, 2012
The police used truncheons and tear gas to stop anti-government
rallies; clashes resulted in arrests and injuries.
Turkey celebrated 89th anniversary of the Turkish Republic, and the
festivities were quite original; protest rallies were held against
Erdogan's government and personally the Turkish Prime Minister. Tens
of thousands of people gathered at Ulus square in Ankara timing their
action to the anniversary of the country's establishment.
PanARMENIAN.Net - Official festivities were sanctioned to take
place only at Ankara hippodrome and were attended by the country's
leadership. However, the key opposition Republican People's Party
(CHP), as well as the Workers' Party (IP) along with about 40 NGOs
decided to hold a "mobilization manifestation"; the action was to
start at the building of the first parliament of Turkey and then move
to the mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic.
Approximately 6000 police officers were providing for the security;
they used truncheons and tear gas to stop anti-government rallies.
People were injured, some were arrested. According to opposition media,
the police blocked entry to the city to bar the way of about a hundred
of buses with opposition activists on board who headed for Ankara to
take part in the action.
Participants of the action blamed the current Islamist government for
infringement upon Turkey's secular bases. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader
of CHP labeled this as agony of Erdogan's regime. "Erdogan speaks
about human rights in Syria, while he has trampled on all democratic
values in his country. All this demonstrates that we are just a step
away from authoritarianism," he said. It is worth noting that hundreds
of opposition journalists are jailed on charge of mythic conspiracy.
The army is demoralized. Almost all officers are arrested on suspicion
of plotting a military coup d'etat to overthrow the government.
Meanwhile, the army has always been the guardian of the secular
regime. However, the Islamists have staked on the people who have
remained ignorant, fanatic, and uneducated through all these 89 years.
Current president Abdullah Gul is the only one lacking a general rank,
a mandatory condition in Turkey until 2002. Prime Minister Erdogan is
not much keen on army either. The poem that entailed a 10-month jail
sentence upon him in 1998 has the following ending: "Mosques are our
caserns, domes are our helmets, and minarets are our bayonets. Our
soldiers are full of faith." Meanwhile, Turkey has been developing
as a secular republic, with authoritarian governance and army's
intervention aimed at maintenance of this very model of development.
Naturally, the Islamists make every effort to eliminate the cult of
Ataturk that has been successfully enrooted during 70 years. Such
plan will hardly satisfy Turkey's secular sector that votes for the
CHP and anyone other than the Justice and Development Party (AKP).
AKP wrested the victory during the recent elections; gaining 49% of
votes it did not manage to form a constitutional majority. In fact,
half of the country voted against Erdogan. Also, inevitable forgery
took place, and administrative resources were used. However, this is
not very important. Erdogan is getting troublesome news from Syria.
Kurdish military troops that have maintained neutrality in the
Syrian conflict until recent, have now started to fight against the
opposition troops in Aleppo. If Bashar Assad manages to use this and
maintain the tendency, the balance of powers in the Syrian war may
be altered to favour him. The Kurds constitute over 10 per cent of
Syria's population; if they back the governmental troops not only in
Aleppo but other parts as well, this will cause serious problems for
the opposition.
Participants of the hostilities against the opposition mostly
represented troops of the Democratic Union party closely linked to
the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which is engaged in armed fight
against the authorities of neighbouring Turkey. Turkey is much active
in supporting the Syrian opposition, and recently appeared on the verge
of armed conflict with Damascus after a number of frontier incidents.
If Kurds interfere in this, Turkey will face an unpleasant situation.
Hypothetically, the Turkish Kurds may unite with the Syrian and Iraqi
ones, and even those in Iran, which may result in implementation of
another U.S. project, namely the Great Kurdistan. Unlike Erdogan,
the Turkish opposition actively cooperates with the Kurds, and the
outcome of this potential alliance is easy to predict: Islamists
may be overthrown, and special national elections may be organized,
in strict compliance with the democratic norms.