2023-07-10 17:12:22
Frankfurt. At a panel held in Frankfurt for Journalist Merdan Yanardag, who was unlawfully arrested, a call was made to join forces to announce this event to the world public more effectively. Journalist Gürsel Köksal moderated the panel, which was held at the June Culture House in Frankfurt with a lively participation. Writer Yener Orkunoğlu and Journalist Osman Çutsay also took part in the event with their evaluations.
According to the news given by Haber Sol, the speakers and participants who emphasized that it is necessary to organize in Europe, especially in Germany, against fascist practices, said:With Merdan Yanardag, the government wants to intimidate. It is not unexpected that European capitals did not react effectively to such undemocratic and illegal practices. We need to be more compelling to create public opinion” expressed his opinion.
BirGün newspaper Correspondent and Columnist Gürsel Köksal made a comprehensive presentation and produced a detailed professional biography of Merdan Yanardag. Dr. Reminding that he took the first steps in professional journalism with Yanardag many years ago within the same institution, Köksal gave a broad overview with examples.
Pointing out that “Merdan Yanardag is a leading figure in today’s oppositional and socialist journalism and that the younger generation should take an example”, Köksal also stated that they are trying to make the book of Islamofascism pay for it. Köksal shared Yanardag’s messages and “I will not bow down!” While quoting his words, he reminded his words that drew attention to the AKP government’s efforts to strangle the media, smash the opposition and build an empire of fear.
Today’s ‚Ilhan Selçuk: Merdan Yanardag
Journalist Osman Çutsay, who took the floor later, claimed that Yanardag was perceived as a kind of ‚Ilhan Selçuk of today, and that the rulers in Ankara were very uncomfortable with this new İlhan Selçuk. Chutsay said:
“I think they believe that this new and transcendent İlhan Selçuk should narrow his sphere of influence. We know that they took this decision before the election, and Yanardag was already aware of it. He knew they would take this step. I think they are testing the level of ownership of Yanardag by the society. Under an authoritarian rule, they think that they have to crush the republican gains, suffocate and burn down every detail that will carry the society forward. In this chaotic environment, I think it is absurd to expect democracy help from Europe or Germany. It is in the interest of the rich inside and outside that the AKP continues. Because there is no opposition force to force him. They took over a country with wars in its immediate vicinity, and they crushed the opposition to pieces and locked it in the ballot box. They are determined to inject reaction into the genes of the country and our people through plebiscites and manipulated ballot boxes. The Merdan Yanardag typology, that is, the intellectuals who say that Turkey can continue as a holistic and progressive republic project, will not grant the right to life. There is also this: Germany and the German wealthy have a serious presence in Turkey, it would be futile for Berlin to support the adventures that would endanger them. They don’t. Democracy does not come to Turkey from the West. It is enough to take a look at Asli Erdogan’s recent experiences. Even Can Dündar has no interest left.”
Chutsay also pointed out that Europe will remain in the lap of fascist governments and that this will be beneficial for the AKP governments, who are hostile to intellectuals.
Yener Orkunoğlu: When the nation-state could not be established…
Writer Yener Orkunoğlu, in her speech in which Merdan Yanardag stated that the oppression and lawlessness he experienced was not a coincidence, drew attention to the warnings from Hegel that the USA is going down and that the 21st century will be a Chinese century. “The United States cannot win its war with China internationally.Orkunoğlu also commented on the ruling successes of right-wing populism in Europe. Stating that socialist thought is in a crisis, Orkunoğlu said:
“At the root of these problems lies the fact that Turkey has not experienced a real nationhood. A nation-state was not fully established. It is also observed that the Middle Eastern character has infiltrated the republican experience in Turkey over time. A Middle Eastern identity was determined by the absence of a central state, the absence of the bourgeois class, the inability to reform Islam and the occupations of British imperialism in the region after the Crusades. Türkiye could not get out of this sphere of influence.”
Stating that Mustafa Kemal Atatürk tried to create a nation through the state, Yener Orkunoğlu claimed that the resistance of Islamism had not been broken. “The deepening of the reaction was caused by the unpreparedness of the intellectuals. Indeed, it is not easy to make a reactionary people progressive.Orkunoğlu reminded that it is not correct to call every force and violence regime as fascism. Orkunoğlu stated that fascism came to the fore when a strong working class movement threatened the system and there was an alternative to power, and that the bourgeoisie openly resorted to force.We cannot say that there is a rising working class movement playing for power in Turkey. It is mostly a fascist-bonapartist regime in Turkey. We should not favor easy and unscientific labels.” said.
Yener Orkunoğlu emphasized that the Merdan Yanardag incident laid the groundwork for creating a new intellectual movement in Turkey and expressed the view that “If we can achieve this, then we can resist these pressures more effectively”. Orkunoğlu reminded that action should be taken to create a public opinion in Germany for Merdan Yanardag.
Association established to support Tele1
In the second half of the meeting, the speakers answered questions about the repercussions of the Merdan Volcano incident and possible developments. Some participants “We must act now. Ways should be found to adequately explain these events to the German society.The call found support.
Meanwhile, it was announced that the “Solidarity Association with Tele1” was established in Germany, obtained the necessary permissions and will start its activities soon.
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