In Turkey the state wants to depoliticize poor neighborhoods where revolutionaries are strong by drugs and in generally by degeneration politics. This is of course not a new method, since the USA also used “drugs and alcohol” as a weapon against the Black Panther Movement. It was also attempted to oppress the struggle of ETA and IRA by drugs.
In the Basque country and in Ireland drugs are spread by the hands of the state and that’s actually a method to suffocate the resistance.
Same as it was in Cuba, which was handled as center of prostitution and drugs for US-soldiers in times before the revolution. Nowadays, almost every colonialized country is in the same situation and they also want to bring Turkey in this situation. They also try to drag it into a swamp of prostitution and drugs.
Today, especially in the countries of Latinameric, where guerilla movements had been common, drug cartels and mafia gangs are directly organized by imperialism and local oligarchic regimes. Their aim is to destroy the dynamics of resistance there.
The use of drugs, which is a very argumentative point within the left of Europe and worldwide, is very clear for the People’s Front. It has taken up the struggle with drugs. This struggle is not a new one. For several years there are activities under the slogan “no to drugs, degeneration and prostitution”. Gülsuyu-Gülensu is one of the poor neighborhoods of Istanbul, where revolutionaries are powerful. For a long period the mafia gangs which are protected and supported by the state, are annoying the neighborhood Gülsuyu.
They pressed money from shopkeepers, threatened those, who didn’t want to give money, and they injured 9 persons in armed attacks. Ahead of extortion they sold drugs under control of the police. The people of the neighborhood were extremely worried about the gangs and the drugs, as well as about the fact, that their children and the young people remained addicted. So they struggled against it.
Hasan Ferit Gedik, a 21 year-old supporter of the People’s Front took part in all areas of the struggle. He was well known also for his struggle against drugs and addiction.
Hasan Ferit Gedik was murdered
In the evening of 29th September 2013 the inhabitants of the neighborhood held a demonstration against drugs and gangs. In that moment long riffled weapon was directed against Hasan Ferit Gedik and shot him. He was shot by exactly 6 bullets, 4 of them into his head.
Another member of the People’s Front, Gökhan Aktas, was shot in the head. While people held their demonstration 3 people were shot in the middle of Istanbul! They were taken to hospital with serious wounds. While Hasan Ferit Gedik struggled for his life, the police stole the most important exhibit, his “bloody T-Shirt”. Even that clearly proves, who was the murderer of Hasan Ferit Gedik. The gangs shot 2 other persons and the police launched a raid against members of the People’s Front. Hasan Ferit lost his life two days after he was shot.
The police even didn’t show respect to the funeral
Before being buried at the cemetary of Gazi, he was brought to the Cemevi (Alevite’s House) in Kücükarmutlu.
On 1st of October 2013, before taking the corpse from the Cemevi and bring him to the cemetary, his family wanted to carry out a ceremony in Gülsuyu, where Hasan Ferit was shot. But the police didn’t allow this. All entries and exists of Armutu were closed. Then the state announced, that it won’t allow any car to go from Kücükarmutlu to Gülsuyu. The murderous AKP government even wanted to dictate the people, how it should held its funerals and where it shall bury it. Hasan Ferit Gedik’s family and his friends didn’t accept this.
There was no reason for them to learn from the police, how to organize a funeral. They made a sit-in protest in front of the Cemevi in Kücükarmutlu for 3 days and 3 nights under heavy rain. Finally, the state had to withdraw. At noon people moved from Armutlu to Gülsuyu. Thousands of people filled the streets of Gülsuyu and they welcomd their martyr Hasan Ferit with a banner writing “Hasan Ferit Gedik is Immortal”. Grandfather Mustafa Meray held a speech. In this speech he didn’t just move the people, but also clearly challenged the state: “My grandson was born in Armutlu. He has become a sun in Armutlu and in Gülsuyu this sun scattered light all over Turkey. My grandson is a very beautiful revolutionary. For this purpose he struggled until the last moment of his life. Now, this struggle will be shouldered by thousands, millions of Ferit’s“. The funeral was carried from Gülsuyu, where he was shot, to Gazi. The slogans „The gangs will give account to the people“, „Hasan Ferit Gedik is Immortal“, „We are the People, We are Right, We will Win“ surrounded the streets. These slogans were shouted with anger and rage by thousands of people. Ten thousands of people welcomed Hasan Ferit Gedik at the cemetary of Gazi. Hasan Ferit Gedik will from now live in the brains, hearts and struggle of the people. The funeral was brought to Gülsuyu and to the cemetary of Gazi.
Militia of the Front (DHKC) ensured safety of the people
The Front was determined not to allow, that the gangs killed another person during the funeral. To prevent another attack by the gangs, militias of the Front started to take security measures against mafia and police with masks and weapons. In the press and also social media this found great echo. The bourgeois press reported in an amazed way “How can the state allow this”, while the population greeted the armed forces with great enthusiasm.
Names behind the gangs: Ağaoğlu, Albayrak
Why does the police that openly protect the gangs? Why does it terrorize the inhabitants of the neighborhood Gülsuyu.
The answer is easy: Urban transformation. As in many poor neighborhoods, it also wants to include Gülsuyu to its urban transformation project since 2004.
Because building enterprises like Ağaoğlu and Albayrak want to take abstract the houses of the poor population.
Actually they want to hit two birds with one stone. They both want to build their own residences and villas instead and break the influence of the revolutionaries in these neighborhoods.
The demonstrations against gangs in support of Hasan Ferit Gedik continue
After Hasan Ferit Gedik was shot by the gangs during a march, there were organized demonstrations in many cities of Turkey: Hatay, Eskisehir, Dersim, Balikesir, Denizli, Samsun, Izmir, Mersin.
The traditionally meal, which is given 40 days after the death of a person, was joined by 700 people on the 17th of November 2013. The people expressed their wish, that there should be demand reckoning for the killing of Hasan Ferit Gedik.
On the 1st of December, there was held a demonstration against degeneration in Gazi. The demonstration started after visiting the grave of Hasan Ferit Gedik. Over 5000 people participated in the action, all the way they shouted “Hasan Ferit Gedik is Immortal”, “The gangs will give account to the People”.
Also attacks of gangs are continuing at actions
– On the 11th of January 2014 the gangs attacked a member of the People’s Front, they gave a fire warning shot. On the 12th of January there was held a demonstration against this. Supporters of the People’s Front wanted to go to the house of gang members, but the police had protected the house.
– On the 14th of January 2014, they again shot perfidously on People’s Front members. 2 of them were seriously wounded. Against that attack there was organized a press statement on the 15th January and afterwards a demonstration was held. 2 scorpions (police tanks) and 2 TOMA water canons were burnt in the area of Gazi.
– On the 17th of January the association in Cayan was raided by police. Before there was held a demonstration. In the evening hours masked militias of the Front answered the police, which has concentrated at the Güzeltepe bridge with fireworks. They confronted the water canons and 4 tanks with molotows and fireworks. A water canon was burnt. The action which started with 30 people later increased to 250 people with participation of the people. The Front militias closed the streets and prevented the tanks from entering the neighborhood. Barricades on the street were set on fire. The police of AKP withdrew from the neighborhood due to this reistance.
– In the evening of 20th of January 2014 at 9.30 p.m. the police forces of the AKP sieged the neighbourhood Alibeyköy with 7 tanks and a large number of special operational forces and terrorized the people. The People’s Front has extensive posted placards against drugs in the region. People’s Front supporter Seckin Ertas was arrested under torture by police forces with 7 tanks. The police was stopped by the people at the Veysel Karani Mosque station, saying that they certainly won’t allow them to take Seckin. Finally they took him out of the hands of police.
Thousands of people marched against drugs
– Gazi 1st of December 2013: People’s Front members marched to Gazi neighborhood from all parts of Istanbul. 5000 people held a demonstration after visiting the grave of Hasan Ferit Gedik.
– Kücükarmutlu, 12th of January 2014: 1500 people who had joined an action went to the Kücükarmutlu square, made a fire and ended their protest with slogans and halay (traditional
dance)
– Okmeydani, 26th of January 2014: Thousands of people marched against drugs.
– Sarigazi, 17th Februaray 2014: 4000 people marched against drug and demanded reckoning for Hasan Ferit Gedik.
– 27th July 2014: Thousands of people marched in the frame of a campaign titled “Stand up Istanbul, we’ll go to demand justice for Hasan Ferit with 1 Million people“.
These demonstrations were organized with the protection of armed militas of the Front.
Hasan Ferit Gedik has become a symbol in the struggle against drugs:
The ‘Hasan Ferit Gedik Center for Struggle and Liberation against Drug Addiction’ was opened!
A center for struggle against drug addiction, carrying the name of Hasan Ferit Gedik, was opened in the poor neighborhood Gazi on the 13th of July 2014. In this center doctors, psychologists are working on a “voluntarily” basis. The psychiatric expert Ilker Kücükparlak defined the aim
of the center of drug treatment as follows: “It is difficult to stop with substance, but the condition for stopping and to continue the soberness is even more difficult. After a person starts with substance, it looses many things. The most important is the loss of self-confidence… The only way to deal with addiction is to create the chance to start the life from cero. But this is hardly possible too. This is our aim. We’re going to make sure, that they’ll believe and trust in themselves.”
Another volunteer described the work method of the treatment center as follows:
“The methods of treatment here will be very different from those in state hospitals. Of course there will also be medical treatment. Our doctors will do everything what they need to do in medical respect. But the biggest school is life itself. There will be offered very different services. For example, we’ll teach the young people, who come there as addicts, how to put up a wall. We’re going to teach them hairdressing and woodworking. Firstly, some of us will be amazed. This is natural. Why will we give such an educative service? It’s therefore.. We don’t just want to rescue our young people from drugs and send them back to the streets. We also want our youth, which is struggling with drugs, to have a accumulation of knowledge in order to manage their own life. In that way, they will be able to rescue their lives.”
Later, there will also be opened centres for Struggle and Salvation against drugs in Kücükarmutlu
and Kirac.
