Thousands marched in Ankara to denounce the genocide committed by the Zionist Israeli regime in Gaza. Carrying Palestinian flags and banners that read “The people of Palestine are not alone”, “Stand up for Palestine!”, the crowd marched through the streets of downtown Ankara.
During the march, the protestors chanted “Occupiers always lose!” and “Murderers will be brought to justice by the people.” The militant march was followed by a rally in Güvenpark, the park downtown which has been home to many protests since the Gezi uprising last year.
In a press statement on behalf of the Atılım Congress of the Communist Party of Turkey which was read in the rally, the people of Turkey were called on to stand against the Israeli terror and genocide while also exposing the hypocritical policies of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Turkey towards Palestine. Noting that the crimes committed by Israel in Gaza are crimes against humanity, the statement also pointed to the direct relation between the terror unleashed on the people in Syria by the jihadist gangs armed under the pretext of “Arab Spring” and the attacks of the Zionist regime on the people of Palestine since it is U.S. imperialism that provides arms and funding to both.
While AKP officials including the Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan release statements condemning Israel and pretending to be on the side of the people of Palestine, in reality as a loyal client of U.S. imperialism, AKP is a true enemy of the Palestinian people. Despite the anti-Zionist AKP rhetoric, during their 12 years of rule, AKP has forged deep military and trade relations with Israel. The 2013 trade volume between Israel and Turkey amounts to nearly $2 billion. The governments of Israel and Turkey also have very close military ties, cooperating on intelligence, military technology which results in deals that amount to hundreds of millions of dollars. In the latest Israeli attack in Gaza, it is known that the jet fuel used by the Israeli Air Force is transported to Israel from the Turkish port of Mersin.
