Reactionary forces continue to serve imperialism today, just as they did yesterday

Reactionary forces continue to serve imperialism today, just as they did yesterday

The protests against the arrival of the 6th Fleet in Istanbul were one of the most important political developments in the political atmosphere of the time for achieving full independence. Around 70 associations and organisations prepared a joint campaign; activities were organised to inform the public before the visit; and marches were planned to ensure the continuity of the protests. On 6 February 1969, the organisers of the demonstrations sent a telegram to President Cevdet Sunay, stating that they did not want ‘this fleet, the guardian of American imperialism’ in their country.

The 6th Fleet arrived in Istanbul on 10 February and anchored off Kabataş. Dolmabahçe was declared a restricted area. The first demonstration began with a march from the Technical University to Taksim, where crowds gathered enthusiastically in an unexpected manner. On 11 February, a banner reading ‘6th Fleet Get Out’ was hung at Istanbul University, and a flag with a picture of Vedat Demircioğlu in the centre was placed on the Beyazıt tower. On 14 February, the National Turkish Student Union (MTTB) organised a ‘Respect for the Flag Rally’. Mehmet Şevki Eygi, a writer for Bugün newspaper, also wrote an article entitled ‘Be Ready for Jihad’, calling on reactionaries to wage jihad.

FAMILIAR NAMES

The MTTB President at the time was İsmail Kahraman, who was elected as an AKP MP and served as Speaker of the Assembly. It is noted that the name of the person who was the Executive Board President of the MTTB at the time was Abdullah Gül, the 11th President of Turkey. Fethullah Gülen, the main person responsible for the 15 July Coup Attempt, was also one of the active names in the MTTB at the time. Permission had been obtained from the governor’s office for the demonstration, in which 76 youth organisations were to participate. At 2 p.m. on 16 February, 30,000 people gathered in Beyazıt and marched towards Taksim via Sultanahmet, Sirkeci, Karaköy and Tophane. During the march, the number reached 40,000.

While marching from Istanbul Technical University in Gümüşsuyu towards Taksim, a small part of the group entered Taksim Square, after which the police dispersed the remaining crowd. At that moment, a reactionary group waiting at Taksim Park, having come from Dolmabahçe Mosque, attacked the marchers entering the area. During the attack, TİP member Ali Turgut Aytaç and a worker named Duran Erdoğan were killed, while hundreds were injured.

No one was punished for the attack that killed two people and injured hundreds. The person with the knife in the photograph showing the moment Ali Turgut Aytaç was stabbed and the police officer who witnessed it were questioned. Seyit Atmaca, who said, ‘I found the knife on the ground,’ was released, while police officer Haşim Bozkurt was first arrested and then found not guilty by the court and released. Interior Minister Faruk Sükan, who said, ‘I even monitor the breathing of leftists,’ described the incident as ‘entirely organised by communists’ and said, “It was a complete rehearsal for a revolution. If we hadn’t taken precautions, there would have been major incidents.”

Imperialist powers later attempted to redesign the country and the region with sectarian, reactionary, fascist policies through moves such as the Anti-Communist Associations, the Green Belt Project, and the Greater Middle East Project (BOP). When President Erdoğan came to power, he boasted of being the Co-Chair of the BOP, while the regime, which had lost all legitimacy among the people, sought ‘legitimacy’ in the same imperialist circles. The ‘Ottoman Nations Model’ proposed by US Special Representative for Syria Barrack was a reflection of the role model assigned to the country since the 1950s.

Today, the political Islamist regime aims to turn the country’s face entirely towards the Middle East and fulfil the mission assigned to it with policies it calls the ‘Turkish-Kurdish-Arab alliance, Muslim brotherhood’. Today, reactionary policies in education, the crackdown on Left Party members who emphasise secularism against Sharia law, concert bans, and the attempted lynching of LEMAN magazine all serve the same goal. The palace administration wants to forcibly transform social life from top to bottom in order to maintain the regime. Just as the progressive, revolutionary forces of the country opposed the 6th Fleet yesterday, today they must raise a united and common struggle against imperialist policies and the reactionary forces that always serve them.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Emperyalizme kalkan oldular: Sevdaları bitmedi, published in BirGün newspaper on February 16, 2026.