On December 1, 20,000 people took part in an anti-war demo in Istanbul.
Although there was a lively and angry mood on some sections of the demo
the turnout was rather low compared to previous demonstrations. The
trade unions did not help as, although they were officially part of the
promoting group, they did very little to mobilise their forces. This,
in spite of the fact that an overwhelming majority of 80-90 percent of
the population is against the war.
This is the translation of an appeal (1 Aralikta Alanlara!) published by the Turkish Marxist website Marksist Tutum for the forthcoming antiwar demo in Istanbul on December 1. The original Turkish version is also available in pdf format to be downloaded and printed out.
As the deadly game of hide-and-seek with the arms inspectors drags on,
there is speculation by some that perhaps war can be avoided. Such
diplomatic minuets should fool nobody. The military build-up in the
Gulf has practically reached the point of no return. The USA is intent
on occupying Iraq. There is not the slightest doubt about this. They
have even made detailed plans of how the US-run colonial administration
will operate. The aim of American imperialism is to make sure they have
full control of Iraq and its oil.
The so-called "struggle against terrorism" is nothing but a cynical
pretext for feeding the voracious appetite of the greatest economic and
military power in the world. The arrogant war-mongering of George W.
Bush reflects the brutality of the American ruling class, which in its
struggle for the control of resources, raw materials, markets, trade
routes and spheres of influence, is ready to destroy any obstacle it
finds in its path.
Faced with the imminent war which US imperialism is preparing against
Iraq, the Spanish Students' Union, as part of the international week of
action against the war, has called for a Students' Day of Struggle on
Thursday, February 13, which will consist of a national students'
strike and demonstrations in all cities in Spain.