Members of the Confederation of Public Employees’ Trade Unions (KESK), who are campaigning for the reinstatement of those dismissed by emergency decree (KHK), were prevented by police in Ankara from staging a planned protest in front of the Turkish parliament on Friday.
The trade unionists reached Ankara after a multi-day march from the Kurdish metropolis of Amed (tr. Diyarbakır). The march, which began on Monday, aimed to draw attention to the ongoing situation of thousands of employees who were dismissed from public service by emergency decree after the 2016 coup attempt and to demand their return to public service.
After arriving in Ankara, the union members first gathered in front of the headquarters of the education union Eğitim Sen, from where they planned to march to the parliament. However, the police surrounded the group and prevented the planned march from taking place.
Journalists were also prevented from reporting, which led to sharp criticism. KESK co-chair Ahmet Karagöz, who was himself detained in the blockade, said: “We protest against this violence. It is unacceptable that peaceful protest is suppressed and press work is obstructed.”
DEM Party MPs Zeki Irmez and Yılmaz Hun left parliament and went to the area to show their solidarity with the demonstrators. After negotiations between KESK and the police, the blockade was finally lifted. The trade unionists then continued their march to join other protest groups from various cities.
Another group of KESK members who had traveled from other parts of the country was stopped at the miners’ monument near the Çankaya entrance to parliament. The group unfurled a banner reading “KHK oppression will be broken by resistance” and announced that they would continue their protest.
In a press statement here, the co-chairs of KESK stated that their demonstration also included a demand for peace, saying: “Peace can be built through the shared life and voluntary unity of the people and workers. For this, democratic practices must be reestablished. After the period of KHK expulsions, trustees were appointed to municipalities. Magazines, newspapers, and television stations were shut down. Our right to information was eliminated. Our retirement rights were taken away with omnibus bills. It is no coincidence that we cannot retire today. By withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention overnight, violence against women gained legitimacy.”
Following the press statement here, a delegation from KESK, including co-chairs Ahmet Karagöz and Ayfer Koçak, visited Tülay Hatimoğulları, Co-Chair of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), at the Parliament.
Tülay Hatimoğulları was accompanied by MPs and Sevtap Akdağ Karahalı, Deputy Co-Chair of the DEM Party Labor Commission.
During the meeting, the KESK delegation shared the purpose and demands of their march to Ankara, emphasizing the importance of joint struggle.
