23 years ago, during the so-called “Gazi Mahallesi olayları”(Gazi Quarter riots) in March 1995, 18 people that fought against the reactionary Turkish state were murdered and hundreds more were injured by the reactionary forces. The riots in the working-class quarter started because of a provocative gunned attack on several cafes at the same time and lasted for 3 days with actions in several places in Istanbul and Ankara. The protests reached its climax when tens of thousands fought fierce battles with the armed, reactionary forces at a police station in the Gazi quarter, Istanbul.
To commemorate the fallen fighters a march was organized last week in the Gazi quarter, having its endpoint at exactly this police station where the rebellion 23 years ago took place. Afterwards a walk was made towards the graveyard, where memorial services were held below the police blockade, which accompanied the march with armored vehicles from the beginning. After that a press statement was read, the prayers were spoken and the memorial was concluded. Hundreds of people participated in the march, including the families of the fallen and those who fought next to them. Partizan and YDG also attended.
During the march, the masses shouted slogans like: “long live revolutionary solidarity!” (Yaşasın devrimci dayanışma!) and “the political prisoners are our honor” (“Siyasi tutsaklar onurumuzdur!”). The front banner they carried showed photographs of the martyrs and the printed slogan can be translated into “the martyrs of the revolution are immortal! do not forget!”.
To honor the fallen is not only to honor the dead individuals, it is to honor the sacrifice of life until death for the purpose of the proletarian revolution and to remember that there always were and will be revolutionaries who won’t give up their justified rebellion until victory is achieved and the old order is leveled to the ground. The reaction will always try to drown the revolution in blood but it can’t be defeated. The more they oppress, torture and kill the people, the more people will join the revolutionary struggle and become incorporated within the revolutionary organizations.
