[P2P-F] Fwd: [NetworkedLabour] Fwd: email from a Turkish friend

Fri Jul 22 07:07:30 CEST 2016

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Orsan Senalp <orsan1234 at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Jul 22, 2016 at 2:15 AM
Subject: [NetworkedLabour] Fwd: email from a Turkish friend
To: "<networkedlabour at lists.contrast.org>" <
networkedlabour at lists.contrast.org>, Discussion list about the WSF and
social movement in general <WorldSocialForum-Discuss at openspaceforum.net>,
squares <squares at lists.takethesquare.net>

Thanks Peter, forwarding ..

Begin forwarded message:

*From:* peter waterman <peterwaterman1936 at gmail.com>
*Date:* 21 Jul 2016 21:03:57 GMT+2
*To:* Örsan Şenalp <orsan1234 at gmail.com>
*Subject:* *Fwd: Fwd: email from a Turkish friend*
*Reply-To:* peterwaterman1936 at gmail.com

Just in case you have missed any of this, Orsan. Anissa is an
Algerian-French friend in NYC.

P

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: anissa Helie <anissa.helie at gn.apc.org>
Date: Thu, Jul 21, 2016 at 8:35 PM
Subject: Fwd: Fwd: email from a Turkish friend
To: Peter Waterman <peterwaterman1936 at gmail.com>, Gina Vargas <
ginvargas at gmail.com>, Meredith Tax <meredithtax at gmail.com>

fyi,
with hugs,
anissa

-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: Fwd: email from a Turkish friend
Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2016 14:31:45 -0400
From:
To:

Some of you very kindly asked about our friends in Turkey in this terrible
time.  The email below is from one of them.  As per her request, I have
eliminated anything that would identify her.
The situation is dire.  She sent this email a couple of days ago, so some
of this is old news.  As you know, the State of Emergency has been
declared.  She also sent links to some important articles.  Here they are:

Ayse Kadioglu:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/ay-e-kad-o-lu/coup-d-tat-attempt-turkey-s-reichstag-fire
Zeynep Gambetti:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/zeynep-gambetti/failed-coup-attempt-in-turkey-victory-of-democracy

Cihan Tugal:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/cihan-tugal/turkey-coup-aftermath-between-neo-fascism-and-bonapartism
Umut Ozkirimli:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/umut-ozkirimli/very-turkish-abduction-from-seraglio-and-crocodile-tears-of-west

Dear friends,

Thank you all for your messages of solidarity and support!

I am writing this joint email to give you a brief update on the situation
in Turkey.

* More than 50 thousand people from different state agencies (including
police, military and the judiciary) and institutions of secondary and
higher education have been suspended from their positions (3000 prosecutors
and judges, more than 8000 police, more than 35000 teachers and other staff
from the Ministry of Education...)

* ALL deans across Turkey (more than 1500) have been asked to resign
(including ours), after an emergency meeting with all university presidents
at the Higher Education Council.
http://bianet.org/english/politics/176916-council-of-higher-education-demands-resignation-of-every-dean

* Yesterday, no university professor (nor any other state employee) was
allowed to leave the country, without authorization from Ankara. We have
friends who were at the airport all day, ultimately having to return home.
Today, the Higher Education Council (HEC) issued a declaration cancelling
all academic & personal leaves and appointments (including sabbatical
leaves). It seems that none of us can leave Turkey until further notice -
including for conferences and sabbaticals. Those who are on vacation -
inside or outside Turkey - are also being asked to return (has not happened
at Sabanci yet, but colleagues from other state and private universities
have been recalled from their vacations and leaves hours after the official
letter from the HEC arrived at the universities). Tomorrow, we will have a
better sense of how this will unfold.

* Will they expand the purge to not only suspend academics but to more
aggressively pursue the case against the academics for peace? who knows...

* Licenses for 25 TV and radio stations (alleged to be affiliated with the
Gulen community) have been revoked
http://bianet.org/english/media/176914-rtuk-revokes-licenses-of-25-tv-radio-channels

* You may have been reading the US (and other states') warnings regarding
more ISIS attacks being expected in different parts of Turkey. From all we
can gather, the security forces, the government and Erdogan are channeling
all state resources towards silencing all possible opposition and
controlling all institutions, at the same time as they go after the
religious Gulen community that is believed to have been behind the coup
attempt - instead of going after ISIS cells located across Turkey.

* You may also know that since the night of the coup attempt, people have
been called to gather in public squares to continue the "democracy watch"
(including in Taksim, which is finally open to protests - but of course
only to pro-government protests). Most of these "people" are men, almost
all are government supporters, frequently chanting Islamic verses and
prayers, and asking for revenge and the reinstitution of the death penalty
- rather than a move towards a more democratic Turkey.

* Several Alevi (heterodox, non-Sunni) neighborhoods and two churches
across Turkey have been attacked by some of these "pro-democracy /
anti-coup" groups...

* The PM, Erdogan and other officials have announced that they will "issue
arms" to civilians so that they can "protect themselves" (and read this in
line of the previous bullet)

* Erdogan, the PM, and the ultranationalist MHP party leader have declared
that they would support the reconstitution of the death penalty...

* Erdogan has also announced that "whether they like it or not, we will go
ahead with the construction of the historic military barracks and a mosque
in Taksim" (i.e. Gezi Park being turned into a "guarded" shopping center
and who knows what else, and a big mosque being built at the entrance of
Istiklal street)
http://bianet.org/english/politics/176887-erdogan-we-will-build-military-barracks-in-gezi-whether-they-like-it-or-not

* Today, the PM opened the parliamentary meeting with verses from the Quran
"in the name of Allah" (first time in Turkish history) - and since the
night of the coup attempt, special prayers have been recited in mosques on
a daily basis (in addition to the regular prayers), in addition to calls by
imams to oppose the coup in the name of Allah and Islam. (the mosques have
been the main means of organizing anti-coup / "pro-democracy" gatherings
since Friday.

* on the other hand, it has been announced that no religious services will
be given for the "coup plotters" - and mind you, all Muslim funerals in
Turkey are religious ceremonies by default.
http://bianet.org/english/human-rights/176910-religious-affairs-no-religious-service-for-bodies-of-coup-plotters

* On the night of the coup attempt, in his speech at the Ataturk Airport,
Erdogan called this failed attempt "a gift/blessing from God" - indeed, he
and the government are using it to suspend even the pretense of any
democratic, legal procedure... (I should of course add that, along with
many others, I am relieved that the coup attempt failed rather promptly -
many more lives could have been lost if it had been longer or more
widespread).

* Erdogan and the government have announced that they will be making a
"very important" statement tomorrow - the rumor is that it will be a form
of emergency rule.

* No doubt, this will be followed by a move to change the constitution
towards a presidential regime.

This is basically where we stand as of tonight...

I wanted to send a brief update for you all before things get even worse -
as they might.

-- 
*Click here for Peter's recent writings*
<https://www.dropbox.com/s/o8s52g2y905rq6w/WatermanGmailSignaturePanel%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20Updated.docx?dl=0>

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