Turkey’s Erdogan Regime continues to undermine the rights and freedoms of individuals as well as the principle of autonomy of universities. On January 1, 2021, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan used an “emergency decree” to appoint Professor Melih Bulu, a loyal member of the ruling party, rector of Boğaziçi University. Bulu is not a member of the Boğaziçi University faculty, which violates the established rules and practices of University governance.
Erdoğan Regime, seeking to dominate all areas in life, is trying to take over the Academy by violating all universal rules, since Erdoğan Regime cannot conquer Academy through other channels. Erdoğan Regime assigned Melih Bulu as the new rector of Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, who was not member of the university. Since then both students and academics of the university protest this decision of the regime despite all post-truth claims and provocations of the regime.
While the Erdoğan Regime describes students as terrorists, the police do not refrain from attacking students and raiding their homes. The last drop of their Vandalism was the humiliating directive of the police ordering; “bend your heads” to those students who were peacefully leaving the campus.
Turkey stands up against the new rector appointed to the Boğaziçi University. The protests held yesterday in many cities of the country confronted with the state violence, directed by the Erdoğan Regime.
During those protests police blockaded TİP’s headquarters in Ankara. Our comrades did not allow police to raid in the headquarters with their resistance. TİP MP Barış Atay was attacked by the police in Istanbul. Many of our comrades were detained.
Despite the aggression of Erdoğan Regime, the attitude of TİP and the working class is clear: We stand by Boğaziçi students and “we will not bend our heads.”
Workers Party of Turkey (TİP) calls the international progressive forces for solidarity with students and academics in Turkey.
#AşağıBakmayacagiz
#wewontlookdown
#WeWontBowDown
Workers Party of Turkey (TİP) International Relations Committee
