Economy has tanked in Turkey due to the failure of the AKP government’s corrupt and mismanaged rule. Coronavirus crisis came on top of the already existing economic collapse, resulting in a total catastrophe causing hunger among the populace. Although Turkish government of Erdoğan is banning all demonstrations, protests and public gatherings, having nothing left to […]
Economy has tanked in Turkey due to the failure of the AKP government’s corrupt and mismanaged rule. Coronavirus crisis came on top of the already existing economic collapse, resulting in a total catastrophe causing hunger among the populace.
Although Turkish government of Erdoğan is banning all demonstrations, protests and public gatherings, having nothing left to lose, people are ignoring the threats of violence by the police and raising their voices.
On December 23rd, the members of the Peoples’ Houses, Halkevleri, marched to the Istanbul Governor’s offices to demand that the Government help the hungry people instead of the millionaires and wealthy pro-government businessman. The government has been sharply criticized for wiping clean millions of dollars the pro-government corporations’ debt but leaving the people to deal with the real issue of hunger by themselves.
The group demanded a meeting with the AKP appointed governor in Istanbul. The banners they carried read, “Fight the pandemic with science not with arbitrary methods.” The group demanded to see the governor and voiced the demands of the people stuck in the economic crises created by the inapt and corrupt government. In other banners, the group voiced the popular demand, “We pay taxes all year round, yet we need help only once.”
The police ordered the crowd to disperse however, the protesters held a press release on the steps of the governor’s office before leaving. Emphasizing the need to reduce the working hours, the Regional Representative of the Poeples’ Houses in Istanbul, Zeynep Çelik said, “After conducting a study, we summarized a list of demands from the people. What comes as priority number one is the rearrangement of work hours and to a return back to work in shifts. This must be implemented not only in the public workplaces but also in the private sector. The second demand is the reduction of density in commuting. Third demand is the reduction of working hours and the increase in employment. Then comes the need to help those in need. We sent these demands to the Governor but we will also visit the mayor of Istanbul. We will follow up on our demands.”
The police prevented journalists from any recording and threatened the participants with arrest if they did not disperse.
Sendika.org News (MB)