Massive Workers' Protest against AKP Government

Members of the Turkey Union of Chambers of Architects and Engineers (TMMOB) gathered in Ankara on Sunday (15 May) to make their voice heard against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Tens of thousands of engineers, architects, city planners and students from many different provinces took a united stance against the AKP.

The TMMOB members followed the call to Ankara themed "We are on the street on 15 May for our rights that are ignored, trampled on and usurped". Hundreds of busses from all over the country filed into Turkey's capital since early Sunday morning and gathered at the main train station.

The TMMOB members were supported by the Turkish Medical Association (TTB), the Confederation of Trade Unions of Public Employees (KESK), the Metal-İş union in affiliation with the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DİSK), Tez Koop İş and the Tobacco, Alcoholic Beverages and Food Subsidiary Workers Union of Turkey (Tek Gıda İş) as part of the Metal-İş union, Labour Party Deputy Chairman Haydar Kaya and Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP) Chairman Alper Taş.

"We are here to end the reign of the greedy merchant"

According to the Evrensel newspaper, the TMMOB members manifested their resistance against a series of applications and projects in a protest march. They demonstrated against the plan to build nuclear power plants in Turkey, against the planned third Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul, the looting of cities under the name of urban renewal, internet bans and last but not least against unemployment and insecure working conditions.

The Head of the TMMOB Steering Board, Mehmet Soğancı, referred to a poem of deceased Turkish poet Nazım Hikmet when addressed the crowd. "We are here to end the reign of the greedy merchant", he said. Soğancı indicated that the Turkish people were tried to be tamed by hunger and poverty. He also drew attention to the Kurdish question that still remained unsolved.

"Tens of thousands of TMMOB members gathered here to say 'stop' to the looting of cities, forests and mines", Soğancı continued. "We gathered in Ankara for a peaceful and democratic solution of the Kurdish question and for a liberal, egalitarian and democratic constitution that focuses on the human being".

"No vote for you"

"With the economic policies they applied, the AKP government is obstinate on having labourers work for low wages without insurance and security. The unemployment fund is being transferred to the big capital".

"The income distribution of the AKP government is utterly unjust. The highest household income is 8.5 times higher than the lowest household income. Evidently, the AKP is the friend of the rich and the enemy of the poor", Soğancı criticized.

"We will not vote for the ones who transfer the above ground and underground recourses to the foreign capital. We will not give our votes to the ones who do no not recognize our right to education, health and accommodation; who loot our cities under the name of urban renewal and who commercialize our water", Soğancı declared. (EKN)