On Friday February 4 Anti-Imperialist Action Ireland was proud to attend a picket and public meeting in Dublin in support of the eleven Turkish political prisoners sentenced to a collective 333 years in Greek prison following a complete farce of a trial, charged with gun ownership and membership of an illegal organisation.
Political activists from Greece and Turkey have embarked on ‘the long march for justice’ as they travel across Europe and elsewhere, spreading the word of this grave injustice carried out in Greece, at the behest of U.S. and German imperialism as well as under pressure from Turkish fascism. The activists led a picket at the Greek embassy in Dublin, highlighting and protesting the prisoners’ case. This was followed by a public meeting which discussed the trial, the campaign to free the prisoners and much else besides.
In the words of the comrades, ‘this decision is not the decision of the Athens court. This decision is the decision of the Micotakis government.’ Like the trials of the Special “Criminal” Courts of the southern Irish state, the trial was juryless, based on incredible flimsy evidence, and politically biased, ignoring all democratic norms regarding a fair trial. The primary evidence was the words of the police and unknown “secret witnesses”. The court was extremely prejudiced against the defence: all of their lawyers’ demands were rejected; their defences were ignored; no distinction was made between any of the defendants, and the list goes on.
As those at the meeting emphasised, this injustice is an attack not only on these Turkish revolutionaries but people across the world, as the ruling elites grow emboldened to drop the democratic ideals they so loudly proclaim. Within the European Union, that so-called bastion of liberalism, increasingly repressive and reactionary states are developing in Greece, Hungary, Poland and elsewhere, all aided and abetted by the imperialist powers of U.S., Germany and elsewhere. It must be opposed!
We call on the Irish people to stand against this attack on the Turkish people as they would stand against attacks on their own. Spread the word and let’s make our voices be heard!
Finally we extend our gratitude to the speakers for taking the time to visit Ireland to educate us on their struggle and to learn more about our own.
Freedom for the 11 in Greece!
Long live revolutionary internationalism!