On May 11, large explosions rocked the Turkish town of Reyhanlı. Close to one of the main border crossings between Turkey and Syria, the explosions were almost assuredly part of the broader regional fallout from the civil war in Syria.
The U.S.-backed AKP [Justice and Development Party] government in Turkey is a resolute opponent of the Syrian government and has aggressively pushed for regime change in Syria. The AKP government has attempted to assign responsibility for the bombings to Syrian government forces. It also blamed “inaction” from international actors for the bombings, attempting to turn them into a pretext that Western powers can use to justify deeper intervention into the Syrian conflict.
The following document, from the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), clarifies a number of issues surrounding the bombings, and challenges the perspective of the Turkish government. With the rising danger of more direct intervention from the United States, it is more important than ever that anti-war forces remain alert to the exploitation of dramatic events in the service of imperialist aims.
Death toll above 100 after Reyhanlı bombings
While the official statements from the AKP government claim the death toll is 46 [at time of press official sources now claim the death toll is 50-Ed.], according to the information from the hospital officials in Reyhanlı, the death toll is actually more than 100 after the two bombs that exploded in the town center near the municipality building and main post office on May 11th.
Conflicting statements from the AKP government after the incident
Speaking from Berlin, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said, “It is possible that there would be provocations during such a critical transition phase in Syria.” Speaking, by implication, to the government of Syria with a threatening attitude, Davutoğlu continued: “Nobody should test the power of Turkey. Whoever has committed this act will get a full response from us if needed. It is not a coincidence that all this happened just as critical decisions were being made for the transition phase when diplomatic contacts were intensifying. Turkey will not give up its decisive policies.”
In Istanbul, Prime Minister Erdoğan accused parties that wanted to sabotage the “peace process” with the Kurdish people in Turkey. He said, “We have started a new era with the peace process in our country and those who can’t stand this process may have done this.”
Deputy Prime Minister Beşir Atalay claimed that the organization behind the bombings was pro-Syrian government group “Syrian Resistance”. The group is led by Mihraç Ural, an Antakya Alawite, and an ex-leftist leader who has been fighting in Syria against the FSA with his group in Syria. The statement issued by the Head of Parliament, Bülent Arınç said that the “Assad regime” is the usual suspect behind the incident.
People of Reyhanlı take to the streets to denounce AKP
Right after the explosions, video footage from the journalists in the area captured the reactions of the people of the town, expressing their anger towards Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan, blaming him and the AKP government for the massacre. The young people of the town were shouting on the ruins of the explosion for Erdoğan to resign immediately. Very shortly after these reactions by the locals, the government declared that it was forbidden for the press to broadcast from the area.
Demonstration in Antakya
A few hours after the explosions, a huge demonstration in the city center of Antakya was attended by thousands. The demonstration was headed by an organization “The Union to Prevent an Imperialist Intervention into Syria”. The organization demanded the resignation of the governor of Antakya. Speaking on behalf of the organization, Eylem Mansuroğlu said that the perpetuators of this massacre are the bloody Al-Qaeda murderers, Al Nusra jihadist gangs, and the AKP government who protects and supports these groups.
Mansuroğlu said:
“This attack is a direct result of the war policies of the AKP government. This attack is about the policies of animosity by the government in order to destroy the historical, economic, cultural and familial relations that exist between the peoples of Turkey and Syria. We, as the forces of democracy, had noted numerous times in our statements in the past that the war policies led by the AKP government will bring about nothing but blood, suffering and death. We want peace. We demand an immediate end to the use of the land of Turkey to harbor murderers who threaten another country. We want the real refugees from Syria, the victims of war to be cared for, but we want the armed militants to be expelled from the country immediately. Only the people of Syria should determine the future of Syria. The sectarian conflict that is being fueled in Syria will turn into a conflict that will soak the whole Middle East with blood. The bombings in Reyhanlı is a clear proof of this.”
The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) also participated in the demonstration, carrying banners that said “Hands off Syria”. The party also issued a statement demanding the resignation of Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoğlu. The declaration noted that:
“The AKP Government has been a straight supporter of the bloody provocations in Syria. Turkey was drawn into a dreadful swirl with the rhetoric of ‘diplomatic profundity’. The peoples of Turkey starting with the people of Hatay are paying the price for the infamy of the attempt to gain regional power by feeding the enemies of the people of Syria. The explosions in Reyhanlı indicate that the “foreign policy” of subcontracting for imperialism has hit the wall. The chief architect of these anti-human and warmongering policies, the minister of foreign affairs Ahmet Davutoğlu must step down immediately. AKP government will surely pay for the crimes against humanity and against the people of Syria.”
Locals clash with the Syrian refugees
The initial panic after the explosions soon turned into rage against the Syrians in the town. It was reported that there were clashes between the local population and the Syrian refugees after the explosions. In addition to the police, Turkish military had to intervene to suppress the clashes.
The town, with a local population of 70 thousand people, has been hosting around 80 thousand refugees. Along with the refugees, there are also armed members of the Free Syrian Army. Reyhanlı has been the main hub for the FSA in its fight in northern Syria. It is on one of the most significant supply routes for the FSA, the Cilvegözü-Bab Al Hawa route. FSA militants take refuge in camps set up in Reyhanlı and freely cross the Syrian border to attack Syrian government forces and cross the border back to Turkey to rest.
There has been constant tension between the locals of Reyhanlı and FSA militants since the FSA has been in the area.
Media ban by AKP government on coverage from Reyhanlı
After the incident, the biggest censorship in Turkish history came into force when the AKP government introduced a media ban on coverage from Reyhanlı. Three journalists were detained for violating the ban. According to the state prosecutor, media coverage from Reyhanlı would expose certain “state secrets”.
Evidence at the incident scene are cleared by bulldozers
Members of the main opposition party CHP went to Reyhanlı just hours after the bombings. One of the CHP deputies, Mevlüt Dudu, who went to the explosion site, said: “Police officers are not gathering evidence; on the contrary they are burying the evidence. Bulldozers are clearing the scene”.
The government has issued a ban on the media to take pictures or video of the crime scene. Two cameramen were detained for shooting the explosion site.
Reyhanlı incident ignites protests all over Turkey
On Sunday, May 12th, there were massive protests held in cities all over Turkey, including İstanbul, Ankara, Mersin, Eskişehir and İzmir. In all the protests, the AKP was denounced as the responsible party for the massacre in Reyhanlı. Speaking at the protest in Ankara, Dengiz Sönmez, spokesperson for the main government employees union, KESK, said: “As long as the forces of labor, democracy and revolution are standing against US’s subcontractor AKP, imperialism and its lackey AKP will eventually pay the price.” Sönmez also indicated that what happened in Reyhanlı was an excuse for imperialist intervention in Syria, adding: “We will never leave the people of Syria stranded. We are screaming from here that we will not let our country to be pushed to war.”
Previous incidents similar to Reyhanlı
There have been four previous incidents in Turkey that resulted in the deaths of civilians. All of the incidents were a direct result of AKP’s policies towards Syria.
The first one was in October 2012 when mortar fire from Syria resulted in the deaths of five Turkish citizens and injury to nine others in Akçakale, a Turkish town on the Syrian border. After the incident, the residents of Akçakale stormed the the AKP mayor’s office, holding the AKP responsible for the deaths. AKP officials blamed the Syrian government and used the incident as an excuse for an artillery attack into Syria. A few days after the incident, evidence pointed to the armed opposition for the mortar attack, not the Syrian army.
The second incident took place in January 2013 in the province of Gaziantep. After an explosion that claimed the lives of Syrian citizens in the industrial section of town, AKP officials quickly blamed the Syrian government. Later on, it was revealed that the explosion was caused by an overheated acid boiler in a factory where Syrian refugees were put to work illegally.
On February 11th, 2013, there was a huge explosion in Cilvegözü border crossing near Reyhanlı which claimed the lives of 14 people and injured more than ten. The AKP government blamed Syria again but instead of providing evidence for their claim, the government censored the evidence.
On May 2nd, a group of people belonging to the Syrian opposition wanted to cross the border at Akçakale. When the Turkish police asked to see their passports, the group attacked with assault rifles, killing one police officer and injuring five civilians. The AKP government was not able to accuse the Syrian government for this incident. The government and the mainstream media dropped the whole issue in a few days after the incident.
