WE WILL DEFEAT THOSE WITH OUR HUNGER WHO ARE TRYING TO DISCIPLINE US WITH HUNGER!
WE HAVE BEEN IN AN INDEFINITE HUNGER STRIKE FOR OUR JOB, BREAD AND HONOUR SINCE MARCH 9th, 2017.
“Now, you are on such a decision point that
it is not possible to defend anything by yourself,
either you will surrender
or you will be on the side of resistance
to protect the light of the life
Kemal ÖZER
We are the public servants protecting the light of the life. We are teachers, academicians, sociologists, medical staff, and office workers. We have been purged from our jobs under a state of statutory decree declared within the scope of state of emergency in Turkey.
AKP goverment have declared 25 statutory decrees since the declaration of the state of emergency. 11 of them was related to the dismissal of public servants from their jobs. Overall, more than hundred thousand public servants have been purged so far and we are a part of this group. One night, without any explanation, we were told that we do not have jobs anymore.
We are the children of working families, we are revolutionist/democratic people. We came to these positions through sacrifices and our efforts. We did not cheat in the exams. We were not favored by anyone. We did not steal. We did not take advantage of any state power for our own benefit. During the time we worked in the public, we believed in the “service for people, knowledge for people, and education for people” ideaology and fought for it. We have been subjected to mobbing, administrative investigations, banishments, and suspensions from our jobs just because we defend the rights of the people and demand free education and healthcare for everyone.
Today they are trying to test us with our bread, our labour and our honour by taking our jobs. AKP government, who used to have a very close relationship with the Gulen Movement, wants us to pay the price of their conflict of interest with Gulenists. We do not accept this! Since November 9th, 2016, we have been sitting in front of the Human Rights Monument in Yüksel Street, Ankara, to protest this situation, claiming “We Want Our Jobs Back”. Since then, the police have assaulted us 27 times where we have been detained everytime and tortured. But we never give up protesting and will continue to ask for our jobs back.
Beyond the regular daily sitting protests in Yuksel Street in Ankara, we distributed leaflets, went around the neighborhoods to talk to people, knocked the doors and told people our story, and collected signatures. We handed in the collected signatures to the public authorities. We used every possible channel available to spread our word. Even the trees, the birds, the stone walls did hear the sound of our voice, but the ones who took our bread from us, who are responsible for our case, did not. They actually did, but they pretended that they didn’t hear.
On the 120th day of our protest, two of our friends, Academician Nuriye Gulmen and Teacher Semih Özakça started an indefinite hunger strike in order to reflect the determination of their request and raise further awareness. The demand of the hunger strike is very clear: We want our job back! The message from the protestors is very simple: We are sacred to our labour and bread, we do not accept it to be taken away, and we will never accept it, no matter what the price will be! We will not buckle under your starvation policies! We will not get used to injustice!
Day after day our shrinking body will be the picture of justice. We call upon all the people of Turkey and the world: be with us in the battle of bread and honor!When this struggle comes to an end, our victory will be the victory of all workers against the enemies of bread and honor. We are in front of the Human Rights Monument for 24 hours and 7 days. Come and join our struggle, and we will gain the victory together.
WE WANT OUR JOBS BACK!
WE HAVE NOT SURRENDERED TO INJUSTICE, WE WON’T!
WE ARE THE PEOPLE, WE ARE RIGHT, WE WILL WIN!
Hunger Strike Protesters: Academician Nuriye Gülmen, Teacher Semih Özakça
Yüksel Street Protesters: Sociologist Veli Saçılık, Teachers Acun Karadağ, Esra Özkan Özakça, Mehmet Dersulu
Twitter: @NuriyeGulmen, @SemihOzakca, @acun_karadag, @velisacilik, @mehmetdersulu
#hungryforourjobs , hungryforourjobs@gmail.com
