No to USA Meeting in Iskenderun

Approximately 4,000 protestors gathered in the Mediterranean seaport city of Iskenderun this Saturday, challenging alleged plans to allow the United States to take over the port facilities and converting it into a US base.

Organised under the initiative of the "Patriotic Front" the event hosted ten coach loads of protestors from Istanbul alongside the city's own demonstrators and those coming from nearby provinced.

Turkish Communist Party (TKP) chairman Aydemir Guler who made a speech at the meeting claimed Turkey was "being restructured by imperialism" and said the recent attack against the State Council in Ankara had made the provocation reach its peak point.

The meeting was attended by members of the Iskenderun branch of the Human Rights Association (IHD) and supported by the Education and Science Workers Confederation (Eğitim Sen) Iskenderun Branch, the Halkevleri and the Iskenderun Environmental Protection Association.

Following the meeting, the activists marched in procession towards the Iskenderun port shouting "seize the bases, get lost USA!, "No to NATO, to the bases and USA", "Iskenderun port is not on sale" and "Yankee Go Home".

(EZO/II/YE)