Sever relations with the Erdoğan government! Vote NO in the referendum on the presidential system in Turkey!
News release for the press and the public - March 22, 2017: Gabi Gärtner, Deputy Chairwoman of the MLPD and leading candidate of the INTERNATIONALIST LIST/MLPD in North Rhine-Westphalia for the state and federal elections, gave the following statement: “The MLPD calls for a ban on all events organized by the Turkish government in Germany and for the severing of diplomatic relations. Erdoğan has installed a fascist regime in Turkey and seeks to give it a legal, democratic appearance with the referendum for a dictatorial presidential system.
The fact that Erdoğan apparently is forgoing the holding of events in Germany for the time being serves the interests of the German federal government, since it now does not have to put its cards on the table.
The overwhelming majority of the people in Germany are totally against such events. It bespeaks the Merkel/Gabriel government's shift to the right that in spite of this it has refused to the last to impose a general ban and is adhering to its inhumane refugee deal and its connivance with the Erdoğan regime.
The MLPD consistently follows the anti-fascist principle that one must not budge an inch for fascists – whether they are German or Turkish fascists – and must ban their propaganda.
On 5 March the Council of the INTERNATIONALIST ALLIANCE unanimously adopted a declaration entitled: ‘For Peace and Freedom in Turkey: Vote NO in the Referendum for the Presidential System!’ The Alliance actively supports the ‘HAYIR!’ (‘NO’) campaign. To date the INTERNATIONALIST ALLIANCE unites 15 organizations including the MLPD and six Turkish/Kurdish migrant organizations, and some 15,000 people already support the alliance. The declaration states:
‘The INTERNATIONALIST ALLIANCE supports the NO of the democratic and progressive forces to the presidential system. We think that everyone who wants democracy and peace in Turkey must clearly reject dictatorship by saying NO. We support all forces who will be mobilizing millions of migrant workers in the course of the NO campaign up until the referendum on 16 April.’”
Further information available online: www.inter-liste.de