From: ozgurluk@xs4all.nl (ozgurluk)
Newsgroups: alt.politics.radical-left
Subject: Turkish fascism, the MHP
Date: Sun, 31 Dec 1995 21:17:30 GMT
Turkish Fascism, the MHP
The following is the text of a pamphlet, spreaded during a picket-line
because of a meeting of the MHP in the Netherlands
WHAT IS THE MHP, WHO'S INTEREST DOES IT SERVE?
Over the last years the MHP has become stronger and more organized. Also in
Europe they become more active. Their relation with the forces in the
Turkish state who have the real power are to such an extent that we can speak
of a close cooperation. How is this possible, and what are the reasons? Why
is it important to fight this organisation in a militant manner? We want to
deal with these questions and start a discussion about this subject.
THE FUNDAMENTAL POLITICAL OPINION OF THE MHP-FASCISTS.
For understanding what the MHP means, it is necessary to look at the
political ideas of the MHP.
Their ideology is called Turanism. The adherents of this ideology see "their
own people" (just like the Nazis), the Turkish people as a superior race.
"The whole world" belongs "to them". They dream of world domination. The MHP-
fascists want a "Greater Turkey", just like the Nazis wanted a "Greater
German Empire".
In concrete this means they want to subject all people and countries, from
the Caucasus until the Balkan and from the Balkan until Middle Asia to their
slavery and put them under Turkish rule. Their active support and
propagandistic contributions for the fascist and racist Turkish state is
best proof for this.
Their ideology does not allow any national rights to the Kurds, Armenians,
Laz, Arabs, Syrians, etc. who live in Turkey (speaking freely in there
native tongue, learning this language or publishing in it, etc.). The MHP
does not even recognize these peoples and threatens to "cleans" society from
non-Turkish "elements" and it tries to put this threat into practice. A
slogan, used by the MHP, runs: "Either you become Turks and become proud to
be a Turk, or you'll have to reckon with your extermination."
Of course there are differences between the policy of the Nazis and the
policy of the MHP. However, these differences are marginal and arise from
the differing circumstances in Germany and Turkey. Anyway, both groups have
the following similarities: They both serve the ones in power, both serve
oppression till its most bloody form, one serves German imperialism, the
other serves Turkish fascism.
THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE MHP AND THE TURKISH STATE.
We will now try to show how the MHP supports the ruling state in Turkey and
what connections there are with the present-day Turkish state.
The first important point is that we can not approach the MHP separated from
the Turkish state. The MHP is integrated in the present-day fascist regime
and performs certain tasks for this state. In other words, if you want to
understand the terror and the dictatorship in Turkey, you'll have to examine
and understand the MHP.
a) The education system. The education system is completely at the service of
Turanism. From the primary school up to the universities it is teached that
Turkey is a superior nation and this is supposed to be proven with the
formation of the Osman Empire. One tries to proof that the Osman empire has
a glorious and honourable tradition which is respected by all countries. In
this way the pupils must be made proud of the fat to be an Osman. Suffice it
to point anyone who believes this propaganda to the mass murders on f.i. the
Armenians. This was a genocide which is denied by the present-day Turkish
state and the MHP as well, like the Holocaust is denied in some fascist
circles. As the Kurdish people nowadays, the Armenians were exterminated by
the Turkish nationalist forces when they began to formulate demands
concerning equal rights and independence.
b) The slogans of the MHP are used by the government and the Turkish state
policy.
The slogan from the MHP-banner: "One Turkish world, from the Adrian Sea until
the Chinese Wall" is also constantly used by the government parties and
other parties in conformity with the system. Lies like "keeping together and
being together", as well as racist and chauvinist slogans like "PKK:
descendants of the Armenians" and "In the East and the West, Turkey is
everywhere and indivisible" are nowadays used daily by the Turkish state.
However, it is not confined to common slogans. The fascist and racist
projects, once demanded by the MHP, like the creation of a "elite army" and
the expulsion from, mostly Kurdish, people from the country to round them up
artificially in the cities in order that they can be controlled more easily,
are nowadays put into practice by the Turkish state. The state does not stop
at realizing the projects which are demanded by the MHP, she goes so far to
install MHP-cadres on positions which are very important to the state. For
example, a lot of governors in the Kurdish areas are members of the MHP.
Furthermore the MHP got a special role to play in the "elite army".
THE SPECIAL ROLE FROM THE MHP IN THE "ELITE ARMY".
a) The training, build up and tasks of the "elite army". The "elite army" is
subjected to the general staff of the Turkish armed forces. The personnel
from this "special army" consists of experienced and especially selected
personnel from the Turkish armed forces. This "elite army" receives special
training, given by especially experienced members of the Turkish armed
forces. The training personnel is partly trained by the German GSG-9.
The following facts are admitted by the Turkish papers themselves who support
the present-day regime: The members of this special army are preferably
choosen among members of the murderous, fascist MHP. The task of this "elite
army" is in fact attacking the national liberation struggle of the Kurds and
other revolutionary organisations and the execution of pogroms. In the areas,
inhabited by Kurds, the "elite-units" set fire to the villages, oppresses the
people by all conceivable means, and murders the villagers. This "elite
army', which officially has to fight "terrorism", was created last year.
Earlier the creation of a such-like unit was demanded for a long time by the
chairman of the MHP, A. Tuerkes. One can postulate that the creation of this
special army was put on the political agenda by the MHP.
Some pensioned generals report that a such-like unit exist already for a
longer time. The difference with earlier days would be that in the
present-day situation preferably MHP-members are taken in. Thus the MHP is
given the opportunity to, within legal boundaries and led by the state, to
attack the Kurdish, the democratic and the revolutionary movements. The
"work", earlier done by the MHP on its own resources, is now done under the
protection and with support of the state and the military. Of course, in
earlier days there has been a form of division of labour between the Turkish
state and the MHP. However, this division of labour was never admitted, or
this cooperation was concealed. Now we have to speak of a new phase
concerning the problems of the fascist Turkish state. The political crisis
has risen to a level, similar to the time prior to 1980. The opposition
inside the country is getting enormous proportions.
Furthermore, the army is not capable of defeating the Kurdish liberation
movement military. The build up of the Turkish army is not suited for
guerrilla warfare and a large part of the soldiers does not want this war, it
is forced upon them. The MHP constitutes a reservoir of Turkish
nationalists, prepared to kill and not shunning any means.
b) The past role of the MHP within the "contra-guerrilla" and the earlier
forms of cooperation with the MIT (Turkish Secret Service).
It's not a new phenomenon that the MHP attacks and murders revolutionaries,
democrats and non-Turkish patriots. A few examples from the past of joint
actions from the MHP, MIT and the Contra-guerrilla.
Bloody May Day, 1977 (Istanbul)
39 workers are shot by fascists and driven over by armoured cars, more than
200 workers are wounded.
March 10, 1978
MHP-fascists and agents from the contra-guerrilla throw bombs to the exit of
the University of Istanbul and open fire upon the people with machineguns. 6
democrats die and 50 students are wounded.
Maras: this mass murder, jointly organised by the MHP, MIT and the
contra-guerrilla, cost the live of almost a thousand people. During the
pogroms, which lasted for three days, women, children and elderly are
murdered at random. Shops and houses are set on fire.
THE DAILY MURDERS FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE PRESENT-DAY TURKISH STATE AND
THE ROLE IN THIS OF THE MHP.
Almost every day people get murdered in Turkey by so-called "unknown forces".
These death-squads only target individuals who are not highly agreeable to
the state. The perpetrators of these murders are never arrested, let alone
convicted. It is plausible that these death-squads for the main part consist
of members from the MHP.
One of the most recent acts of terror where the MHP can be suspected of
having their hands in it, was the vile and cowardly assault on a cafe in
Istanbul. This resulted in a three day long uprising from the people in the
Gazi-neighbourhood against the police and the army. The government tried to
convince the international opinion that it had been a religious conflict.
However, during the uprising Alevites and Sunnites fought side by side
against the armed forces of the state. The way this action was executed: At
first a taxi-driver is kidnapped, his throat is cut and he is thrown in the
back of his own car which is then used in a vile attack where the murderers
use machineguns against unsuspecting citizens. The way this attack was
carried out leads to the suspicion that the MHP, led by the MIT, must have
played an important role. Gazi is a neighbourhood with a lot of people where
left has traditionally been strong.
THE MHP ABROAD.
The "Hollanda TUrk Federasyon" which organised a congress here today, is one
of the many cover-organisations of the MHP abroad.
It was founded three months ago and this foundation fits exactly, one again,
in the policy of the Turkish state. The Turkish state has made it its goal
to estrange the European population from a.o. the Kurdish national liberation
struggle and the democratic forces of Turkey. Hundreds of thousands Turkish
and Kurdish democrats live all over Europe and they try to put in their best
for human rights, democracy, and self-determination in their homeland. This
is a thorn in the flesh of the Turkish state. It was also recently decided
that people with the Turkish nationality who live abroad may vote for the
elections in Turkey. So the European platform has become very important to
the Turkish state. The MHP acts, more than willingly, as agent of the Turkish
state.
The last action of the MHP in Europe was organizing the big demonstration as
a protest against the founding of the Kurdish parliament in exile in The
Hague. Everyone could see on Dutch television how thousands of Turkish
nationalists made the sign of the Grey Wolves. The ring-finger and the
middle finger against the thumb, and the pink and forefinger up, representing
the head of a wolf.
CONCLUSION
The political crisis in Turkey - the present-day regime can only keep up by
using the most gruesome means -, the importance of the European platform for
Turkish policy and the strengthening organisation of the MHP, signify that
this congress will not be the last provocation of Turkish fascism. Alas, it
is to be expected that the anti-fascist, the democratic and the solidarity
movement will be confronted more often with meetings like this in the
future, with demonstrations like the one in the days of the founding of the
Kurdish parliament, and even with manifestations of violence from the side of
the MHP.
Therefore, and for the fight for human rights, democracy and
self-determination in Turkey, it is necessary to watch the MHP very
carefully, to investigate her cover-organisations, and to make sure a
movement arises which can effectively fight her.
Some demonstrators
