The following letter was received on Monday from an activist in Turkey.

As the heroic movement of the masses of Turkey continues, the brutal oppression by the police and security forces has increased. There is an urgent need to lend a hand of solidarity to our brothers and sisters there.

What started as a small scale protest against the destruction of Gezi Park that stands next to Taksim Square in Istanbul has now developed into a nationwide movement demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Erdogan, of the AK Party.

I am sure that the fund managers in the City of London or New York’s Manhattan or Frankfurt’s financial distrcit are very surprised. They may even be shocked. I am quite sure that many fund managers and bankers who have helped Erdogan's government stay in power for so many years by channelling their hot money to Istanbul’s stock market are now calling their brokers in İItanbul. 

In 1977 around 34 people were killed in Istanbul’s Taksim Square when snipers opened fire on the unarmed May Day rally. And between 1978 and last year May Day rallies were banned from being held there. That changed last year when for the first time after 33 years workers once more were able to gather in Taksim Square. Following on from last year’s lifting of the ban, this year’s May Day rally was the largest at Taksim Square since 1977.

We have received the following statement about the harassment of socialists in Turkey. We are publishing it as an elementary duty of internationalist solidarity.

A short letter on the mood developing in the Turkish labour movement

Last Saturday about 50,000 people gathered in Ankara to show their support and solidarity with the Tekel workers. Meanwhile the four confederations of trade unions gathered on Monday and decided to declare an indefinite general strike for 26 May 2010.

We publish here some more solidarity letters we have received and passed on to the Tekel workers in Turkey. The courageous struggle has now gone on for more than 60 days and put huge pressure on the Turkish government. The letters from workers and trade unionists from all over the world are a great source of inspiration in order not to give in but fight until the victory. Please keep on sending them!

A delegation of German workers from several trade unions recently visited the Tekel workers in Turkey to express to them their support and solidarity. Here we publish a report of the event which show the tremendous impact the Turkish and Kurdish workers in struggle had on these German workers. True workers internationalism in action.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is supporting the Tekel Workers and has called for an international day of solidarity for this coming February 20. Send more messages of solidarity and actively participate wherever you can in the day of solidarity.

The TEKEL workers have shown once again what the Turkish working class is capable of. This is a class with a glorious and heroic tradition of struggle. It has risen in the past. It is now beginning to rise again. The TEKEL workers deserve all the support workers inside and outside Turkey can provide. Their struggle is our struggle.

We have received some brief updates on the situation being faced by the Tekel workers in Turkey. It clearly indicates the widespread support through Turkey for this struggle, but also the tough situation the striking workers are facing.

We have received this letter as an update on the situation of the struggle of the Tekel workers in Turkey. Due to their pressure, the Prime Minister and the Turkish Cabinet were now forced to take up this issue. At the same time the class consciousness of the workers is taking a huge step forward and the ideas of communism are gaining ground amongst them. The victory of the Tekel workers would not be only a victory for them, but a victory for the whole of the Turkish working class.