During the night of 22 June to 23 June, over 200 revolutionaries and democrats were arrested in the
Turkish city of Ankara. Shortly before the upcoming NATO summit, the Turkish fascist state is launching a major crackdown on the left-wing and revolutionary movement.
Earlier this year, on 3 February 2026, units of the Turkish fascist police raided the premises of socialist organisations, associations, news agencies and a political party in 22 cities, including the homes of members of these organisations. At the same time, over 100 socialists were arrested and 85 of them were detained. Among the organisations affected were the ESP (Socialist Party of the Oppressed), its youth organisation SGDF (Federation of Socialist Youth Associations), women’s organisations, news portals and lawyers’ collectives. However, this operation is not an isolated incident.
Repression is nothing new in the political landscape of Turkey and in the Turkish-occupied part of Kurdistan. Whether it be Kurds, Alevis or political opponents – ranging from revolutionary and democratic forces to the bourgeois opposition – whenever they challenge the prevailing fascist, nationalist, patriarchal and capitalist order, action is taken against them and their members.
And the prisons are overcrowded: the 305,000 prison places are occupied by 116,000 people, meaning that there are currently around 421,000 people in prison in total. Many prisoners are forced to sleep on the floor.
THE REORGANISATION OF THE MIDDLE EAST –
THE ROLE OF TURKEY
The aim of the repression is crystal clear: to remove the revolutionaries from the streets – to liquidate the movement, which is not only a nuisance to the Turkish state but also poses a real threat to it. In its attacks against revolutionary and democratic forces, the state is currently taking a much broader and more organised approach. What has changed?
If one looks at the composition of the political landscape in the Middle East, it becomes clear that a shift in the balance of power has been underway since 7 October 2023. On the one hand, Western imperialist forces, led by the USA in collaboration with Israeli Zionism through the barbaric genocide of the Palestinian people, have expanded their territorial control. Almost all of Palestine has been occupied. Likewise, through the collaboration of the US, Israel and Turkey, the former Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad was overthrown within a very short space of time and replaced by the US-aligned HTS transitional government – thereby securing a further stronghold for US imperialism. Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and Iran are also part of this expansion.
It was also through cooperation between the USA, Israel and Turkey that the former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad was overthrown within a very short space of time and replaced by the HTS transitional government, which is close to the US – thereby securing another stronghold for US imperialism. Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and Iran are also part of this expansion. The aim is, on the one hand, to gain territory and resources, whilst at the same time weakening Sino-Russian imperialism. What role does Turkey play in all this? The Turkish fascist state currently finds itself in an unfavourable situation: In May 2026, the annual inflation rate in Turkey stood at 32.61 per cent according to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜIK) and at 53.13 per cent according to the ENAG (Inflation Research Group); mass unemployment and the resulting discontent amongst the population are just a few examples worth mentioning. The AKP–MHP government is being forced to act; it is seeking a solution and has found it in expansion into the Middle East. A successful class struggle waged from above and the consequent suppression of resistance form part of this plan. The forthcoming NATO summit, which is taking place in the Turkish capital, Ankara, is a key event for Turkish fascism. The fact that the world’s most important military alliance is meeting in Ankara of all places signals a rapprochement and openness on the part of the hegemonic imperialists towards Turkey. This is underpinned by military-strategic advantages: Turkey occupies a geostrategically central position when it comes to waging war. Relations with the Turkish fascist state are being deepened in the face of the Middle East as a hotbed of war and preparations for a Third World War.
THE REAL TERRORISTS ARE IN GOVERNMENT
This NATO summit is meeting with widespread discontent – revolutionary and democratic forces have been preparing mass protests against the war for months. Under the pretext of ‘combating terrorism’, the Turkish fascist state struck again during the night of 22 June to 23 June – over 200 revolutionaries and democrats were dragged from their homes by heavily armed police and military personnel, with further raids being carried out.
The aim is not merely to weaken the protests against the summit, but to suppress them entirely. The Ankara provincial administration signalled this shortly beforehand by announcing a ban on all political gatherings, demonstrations and even travel to the city from 28 June onwards. The repression makes it clear: the real terrorists are in government.
SOLIDARITY WITH THOSE IN PRISON AND ON THE STREETS
The socialist, revolutionary forces will not back down – we salute all those who resist and defy the repression, whether on the streets or behind bars. It is up to us to organise solidarity with the political prisoners, both by protesting on the streets against this criminalisation and by providing them with moral support through letters.
