SEP Declaration: People United Will Never Be Defeated!

Socialist Socialist Mar 31, 2025 11:19 72

SEP Declaration: People United Will Never Be Defeated!

On March 19, following Erdoğan’s move to eliminate his closest rival from the race, a wave of mass protests and resistance led by university students began. This wave of action has taken to the streets primarily to defend the democratic rights and freedoms that are being systematically dismantled in the country. In Turkey, the revolutionary socialist party SEP has consistently called on the masses to continue the independent class struggle in an organized manner. They aim to channel the revolutionary energy of the youth through grassroots organizing and advance the struggle by putting forward demands that can mobilize the masses against Erdoğan.

SEP released a struggle program with this goal and presented it to the masses during a massive demonstration held in Istanbul on March 30, which drew nearly 2 million participants. The struggle program announced by SEP is as follows:


We are experiencing the most disgraceful forms of oppression, injustice, and lawlessness. The AKP government has even set its sights on the right to vote and be elected. The judiciary operates under orders, opposition media is being silenced, and a coup is being staged against the democratic electoral system. All the while, the people are becoming increasingly impoverished, the youth are losing hope for the future, and retirees are struggling with hunger — yet the AKP continues to enrich its own circle of nouveau riche.
Against the AKP’s drive to build a reign of power, an extraordinary resistance has emerged, led by the youth. This resistance has served as a brake on the judicial coup. But the struggle is far from over. We are living through decisive times. To succeed in our struggle and reclaim our future, there are things we must do:


1. We must unite the demands for democracy and freedom with the urgent issues millions face due to the economic crisis. We must combine this with the fight against the unemployment and hopelessness forced upon the youth. On May Day, we must take to the streets en masse and strengthen the struggle of the poor working people.
2.  In universities and high schools, we must establish non-bureaucratic, grassroots-based boycotts and faculty committees and make them permanent.
3.  To spread the struggle to neighborhoods, we must form committees in districts and communities and keep mass mobilization alive through local actions.
4.  We must organize solidarity campaigns for those who have been detained or imprisoned and fight not just for the release of İmamoğlu but for the freedom of all political prisoners. We should bring families together to build networks of family solidarity.


MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE MUST JOIN THE ORGANIZED STRUGGLE FOR OUR FUTURE.
We call on you to join our party and close ranks.
We can only resist organized evil by being organized ourselves.