Call for solidarity from SOL Party before the trial: Defending secularism is not a crime!

The trial of 6 SOL Party members, who have been kept under house arrest on the grounds that they hung a banner reading 'Against Sharia, Fascism, and Darkness, a Secular Revolutionary Democratic Republic,' will be held on April 28. In a statement issued by the party's Istanbul Provincial Organization regarding the SOL Party members who will be tried with a total of nearly 30 years of imprisonment requested, it was stated, "Defending secularism, which is guaranteed by the Constitution, is not a crime."

The SOL Party Istanbul Provincial Organization has issued a call for solidarity regarding the trial to be held at the Küçükçekmece Courthouse on April 28.

In the statement, it was said, "Defending secularism, which is guaranteed by the Constitution, is not a crime. What is a crime is to put society under pressure, restrict freedoms, and target different lifestyles by turning the people's beliefs and values into a tool for politics."

The statement included the call, "We invite our people to come to the Küçükçekmece Courthouse on Tuesday, April 28, at 12:30 PM to show solidarity with our friends and to defend secularism and our future together."

The statement made by the SOL Party Istanbul Provincial Organization is as follows:

"About three months ago, 6 of our SOL Party member friends, who were first provoked by reactionaries and then targeted by the Palace's advisors for hanging a banner reading 'Against Sharia, Fascism, and Darkness, a Secular Revolutionary Democratic Republic' in Küçükçekmece, Istanbul, were first detained and then sentenced to house arrest by the court they were brought before. Our friends, who have been kept under house arrest for months, are now being tried with a total of up to 30 years of imprisonment requested today. 

''DEFENDING SECULARISM IS NOT A CRIME''

This trial, which will be held at the Küçükçekmece Courthouse on Tuesday, April 28, at 1:30 PM, is not only the trial of 6 people but of everyone in this country who defends secularism, freedom, and equality against the reactionary regime. The reason for our friends' trial is, in reality, that they defended secularism against this order of oppression and the efforts to make reactionary policies permanent in the country. Defending secularism, which is guaranteed by the Constitution, is not a crime. What is a crime is to put society under pressure, restrict freedoms, and target different lifestyles by turning the people's beliefs and values into a tool for politics. 

''THE STRUGGLE FOR SECULARISM IS A STRUGGLE FOR LIFE ITSELF''

The struggle for secularism is also a struggle directly related to life itself. It is a struggle waged against the carrying of wars, sectarian conflicts, and reactionary darkness—which have been fueled by imperialist interventions for years along with the Greater Middle East Project—into our country. And this struggle is a necessity for closing the gates of hell opened in the Middle East and for defending the will of peoples to live together in equality and peace. It is a struggle for brotherhood and living together in peace against imperialist policies that pit peoples against each other through ethnic and sectarian divisions.

Today in Turkey, secularism has become the most fundamental guarantee of democracy against a management approach fed by longings for Sharia and the caliphate, where all powers are concentrated in one person. In this order where poverty deepens, income inequality increases, and public resources are plundered, the culture of submission imposed with religious references aims to make this injustice invisible. However, secularism is also a prerequisite for an order that favors labor, for our citizenship rights, and for a fair life. Therefore, the struggle for secularism is also a struggle for labor, justice, and equality against the order of exploitation established under the guise of religion.

''IT LEADS TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF A DE FACTO SHARIA REGIME''

Reactionism, which is organized in every field from education to the judiciary, from social life to the economy through sects and communities, is leading to the step-by-step construction of a de facto Sharia order today. This picture surrounds the lives of women, children, and young people the most. The responsibility for the teachers and students who lost their lives as a result of the attacks that took place in Urfa and Maraş in recent days also lies with this reactionary regime itself.  For this reason, the struggle for secularism is also a struggle for the freedom of the entire society, primarily children and women.

''THOSE WHO DEFEND SECULARISM ARE WANTED TO BE SILENCED''

The trial to be held at the Küçükçekmece Courthouse on April 28 is a threshold where all these topics are embodied. The message intended to be given with this trial is clear. Those who defend secularism are wanted to be silenced. The investigation launched against 168 Secularism Signatories, including writers, academics, artists, journalists, and representatives of professional chambers, and the fact that the signatories were personally targeted by AKP President Tayyip Erdoğan are also parts of these silencing operations. 

However, we know that the bright future of this country will rise in the hands of those who amplify this voice. For this reason, we invite all social opposition forces, labor and democracy organizations, women, young people, and our people to come to the Küçükçekmece Courthouse on Tuesday, April 28, at 12:30 PM to show solidarity with our friends and to defend secularism and our future together. A secular, free, and democratic country is only possible if we fight together. This struggle is the common struggle of everyone who stands for equality, freedom, and justice."

News Source: 12punto