Socialist Alliance condemns terror bombing of peace rally in Ankara, Turkey

The Socialist Alliance (Australia) adds it voice to the global condemnation of the terror bombing of a peace rally organised by trade unions, NGOs, the Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) and other progressive parties in Ankara on October 10. So far, 128 people have died from this bombing and some 500 have been wounded. “This was a rally calling for the resumption of the ceasefire between the Turkish state and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a ceasefire that was unilaterally broken by the Turkish government when it sent its war planes to bomb PKK bases in Iraq in July,” said Socialist Alliance national co-convener Susan Price. “The whole world has watched the horrific news footage of the two bomb blasts in the midst of a peace rally where people had been dancing in the streets as the explosions went off. Outrageously, the Erdogan regime in Turkey first tried to blame the PKK for the bombing but after the global outrage and mass protests around Turkey, it now is blaming the Islamic State (ISIS). “The victims of this latest massacre and act of state terrorism have accused the Erdogan regime of complicity with ISIS, even while it receives NATO support supposedly to fight ISIS. “This is not the first massacre carried out by the Erdogan regime working with ISIS. The Turkish government helped ISIS during its brutal siege of Kobane, then it facilitated the attacks on HDP election rallies and offices during the June elections which saw Erdogan's ruling AKP lose its majority in the Turkish parliament and a 13% vote for the leftist HDP. Then we saw the Suruc massacre of some 30 Turkish socialist youth going Kobane to offer solidarity. “The Erdogan has revealed that it is terrified of the non-sectarian, inclusive and democratic example that the Rojava liberated zone in northern Syria has been setting for not just the war-torn Middle east but for the rest of the world.,” Price added. “The Erdogan regime is terrified of the example that the HDP has shown in Turkey. That is why it has resorted to a campaign of terror against the people in Turkey. “The Australian government cannot remain silent on this state terror campaign. It should support an full and independent inquiry, demand an end to the violence against the HDP and it should de-list the PKK from its official list of “terrorist organisations”. “The trade union movement and all progressive and democratic movements in Australia should condemn this latest terrorist massacre in Turkey and join in the campaign to de-list the PKK and recognise it as a democratic liberation movement the Kurdish people.”