The Turkish Communist Party (TKP) organized a protest rally in Izmir on Monday, July 3, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the massacre of leftist intellectuals and activists by right-wing mobs in Sivas in central Turkey.
Scores of participants shouted slogans saying “down with religious fanaticism, fascism and darkness.” They waved flags of the communist party and carried a banner reading “We are marching for a bright Turkey.” In various speeches during the rally, leaders expressed the TKP’s resolve to establish a secular, just, and bright Turkey.
37 people, including 33 left activists and intellectuals, were killed and over 65 others wounded when a mob led by religious fanatics and right-wing leaders burnt a hotel in Sivas on July 2, 1993. Left activists from across the country had come to Sivas to celebrate the festival of Pir Sultan Abdal, a 15-16th century poet of Anatolia in Turkey who presented progressive and unorthodox ideas. He is celebrated as a saint among religious and ethnic minorities in the region, such as the Alevists and the Kurdish Alevists.
Religious and ethnic minorities have faced a long history of discrimination and repression in modern Turkey. This has prompted some groups to take up arms—like the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK)—to fight for their rights.
The opposition in Turkey has alleged that religious fanatics have been provided state protection during the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP), which first came to power in 2002.
Dozens of people were arrested and convicted for the Sivas massacre following years of struggle both inside and outside the courts. However, the AKP-led government forced the courts to drop all charges against them in 2012. Appeals against this decision have been pending in higher courts for almost a decade now.
Speaking at the rally on Monday, Savas Sari, member of the TKP’s central committee, said that those responsible for the crimes at Sivas are now members of the ruling establishment. He claimed that they have opened the way to mix religion and politics and distorted secularism while promoting bigotry. “But we promise: we will make Turkey a secular country again,” he added.
