The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) protested against imperialist aggression in front of the US Embassy in Ankara after the US attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
“TKP Central Committee Member Ali Ufuk Arikan made a speech at the demonstration where slogans such as ”Down with US imperialism“, ”Occupiers always lose“, ”Venezuelan people are not alone“, ”USA get out, this country is ours" were chanted.
Hundreds of people participated in the demonstration, calling the US attacks on Venezuela “banditry” and expressing solidarity with the Venezuelan people. TKP CC member Ali Ufuk Arikan emphasized in his speech that the attack targets not only Venezuela but all the working people of the world.
‘The war has moved to a new phase’
Stating that the US launched a despicable attack against the will of the Venezuelan people, Arikan said, “This gang of thugs has launched a despicable attack with the belief that they can attack the people and the will of a country as they wish. Today we have come together opposite this building to show that the peoples of the world stand with the Venezuelan people. Today we are facing a war that has entered a new phase. On one front of the war is the bandit gang, and on the other front are the working peoples all over the world.”.
‘If you want to see a drug cartel, look at the White House’
Reacting to the US accusations against the Venezuelan leadership, Arikan said that the real target is the unyielding peoples in the region. Arikan noted the following:
“Their problem is that the working peoples of Latin America, Cuba and Venezuela do not submit to the US. Those who call the Venezuelan leader a drug cartel, if they want to see a drug cartel, they will first look at those who stand inside that structure called the White House. If they want to see a drug cartel, they should look at their own leaders who have brought the scourge of drugs upon the peoples of the world, including our country.”
‘These scoundrels have at least 28 bases in our country’
In his speech, Arikan drew attention to the fact that the US Embassy building where the protest was held was built on the land of Atatürk Forest Farm and the US presence in Turkey, pointing out the importance of the growth of the anti-imperialist struggle in our country:
“We are a party to this war. We are such a party that we are ashamed of this building that was built by looting the land of Atatürk Forest Farm behind us. There are at least 28 bases of these scoundrels in our country. Venezuela is not far away. These traitors are among us. Not only in Turkey, but these bases of shame are our problem. We will never stop fighting against this problem.”
‘The silence of the government is due to its collaborationism’
Criticizing the silence of the AKP government and authorities after the attack, Arikan stated that the security of the people cannot be ensured by collaborators and said, “Today the AKP government does not say a word. Their collaborators, the collaborators of the USA cannot stand against them. They cannot ensure the security of our country and our people. If they want to provide security, challenge them, you will expel these gangs from our country.”.
Arikan ended his speech with the words “US imperialism will be defeated, the resisting peoples will win. The working Venezuelan people will win.”.
‘The unbearable lightness of being an ally of the powerful. This system produces NATOism, Americanism’
TKP General Secretary Kemal Okuyan also made a statement on Ankara's silence on the US attack on Venezuela:
“It is not surprising that the AKP government does not react to what is happening in Venezuela and says “we are following closely”. The era of tense negotiations with the West is over. The government has already made it clear that it will act together with the US even on the most challenging issues. This is the unbearable lightness of being an ally of the powerful.
But how is it that such a hypocritical line in foreign policy, let alone domestic politics, is not widely questioned? Could one answer be that Özgür Özel, who today ranted from the rostrum about the AKP's silence on Venezuela, never ceases to reproach the European Union bigwigs for not supporting the opposition enough?
The ruling party and the opposition periodically change positions, one accuses the other of Americanism, but in fact there is a consistency and continuity: This system produces NATOism and Americanism.”