Turkish youth protest war on Iraq

BY AARON BENEDEK

SYDNEY — Against considerable opposition from right-wing members of the local Turkish-Australian community in the western suburb of Auburn, the Youth and Solidarity Group held a local protest rally against the war in Iraq on October 25. The protest action was organised to coincide with protest marches in Ankara and Munich that day.

A representative of the Youth and Solidarity Group told the 50 Turkish leftists and their supporters attending the rally that it was essential to build a "front of resistance" against the occupation of Iraq, and that the Turkish community in Australia must join others around the world in condemning the Turkish government's decision — taken in defiance of the will of the majority of people in Turkey — to deploy 10,000 troops to northern Iraq.

The rally was also addressed by members of the Auburn branches of the Socialist Alliance and the Communist Party of Australia. Lisa Macdonald from the Socialist Alliance told the rally: "The Socialist Alliance is campaigning hard for the withdrawal of all foreign troops, including Australian forces, from Iraq and we stand 100% in solidarity with your efforts to stop more troops from entering that country. Iraq is for the Iraqis. Kurdistan is for the Kurds. End the occupation now!"

The Youth and Solidarity Group is planning further protest actions, including a rally outside the Turkish consulate in November.

From Green Left Weekly, November 5, 2003.

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From GLW issue 560