Turkish police attacked a protest by revolutionary and democratic youth organisations in Ankara on 8th of November against the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the YÖK (Higher Education Council of Turkey), a body set up during military rule to give the state direct control over universities, and arrested 11 people, including three readers of the YDG (New Democratic Youth) media. The protesters fought back, chanting during the attack, "Universities belong to us and they will be liberated with us!" Especially with the disputes at Istanbul's Boğaziçi University, the struggle against state intervention in universities plays a central role for a large part of the youth in Turkey.
Ankara’da gençlik örgütlerinin YÖK’ün kuruluşu vesilesiyle düzenlediği eyleme polis saldırdı. Aralarında 3 YDG’linin de olduğu çok sayıda öğrenci gözaltına alındı. pic.twitter.com/bHehmbootu
— Yeni Demokrasi (@YDemokrasi11) November 8, 2021
On the same day, in Samandag, families of YGD members were searched, threatened and harassed by the cops. They tried to intimidate the family with sentences like "Your child is taking part in demonstrations here, he will be arrested soon. We have the evidence on our hands - save your daughter from the organisation."
