ANKARA - Young people marked the May Day celebrations in Tandoğan Square, drawing attention to the lawlessness in the country send following message to the government: "If there is no law, there is the streets."

 

The 1 May Workers' Day celebrations in Ankara were held in Tandoğan Square under the leadership of Confederation of Public Laborer's Unions (KESK), Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DISK), Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) and Ankara Medical Chamber (ATO).  With the slogan "We will win for labour, peace, democracy and justice", tens of thousands of citizens gathered at the AKM Metro exit in Ankara in the early hours of the morning before the celebration and marched in cortege towards Tandoğan Square with banners, pennants and banners. The crowd passed through 4 search points at the entrances to the area.

 

Despite the heavy rain, many political parties, trade unions, professional chambers, democratic mass organisations, women's and youth organisations, university students, pensioners and workers participated.  During the march, slogans such as "Long live May Day" and "No salvation, all together or none of us" were chanted.

 

YOUTH AND WOMEN IN THE FIELD

 

The density of young people and women also attracted attention. Giving messages of resistance against the lack of future and unlawfulness, the youth called out "If there is no law, there is the streets". Thousands of university students took to the field with the slogan "From campuses to the fields, workers and youth shoulder to shoulder. To destroy the exploitation order". METU students carried the banner "On the side of the METU class for a democratic country for a democratic university".

 

BIJI SEROK APO SLOGANS ROSE

 

The Youth Assembly of the Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK) participated in the celebrations with the slogan "We are weaving a socialist future with self-organisation", while slogans like "Biji serok Apo (Long live Leader Apo)" frequently raised. Kurdish women also took part with the banner "Biji tekoşina azadiya jinan re ji bo civaka democratic (Long live resistance of freedom of women for the free society)". Alevis marched with their sazes and sayings with the message "There is no sound wheel in a broken order".

 

MURDERED JOURNALISTS CIHAN AND NAZIM COMMEMORATED

 

While journalists raised slogans agianst the censorship of the press, "Free press cannot be silenced", Dicle Fırat Journalists Association and Mesopotamia Women Journalists Association (MKG) took part in the 1 May square with the banner "Çapemeniya azad, civaka democratic" (Free press, democratic society) and photographs of murdered journalists Cihan Bilgin and Nazım Daştan.