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‘I’m tired but happy. I believe that human rights and democracy will win’

The Morning Star talks to Turkish citizens who cast their votes from London this week

AT AROUND 10pm on Tuesday loud cheers erupted in Kensington Olympia. They followed an announcement signalling the end of voting in Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections for those living in Britain.

It has been a long few days for activists from all of Turkey’s mainstream political parties with voting taking place over four days.

Buses have shuttled voters from across the country to the west London venue with party members providing transport for their communities.

Ibrahim Avcil has been working for the Labour, Democracy and Freedom Platform, helping to co-ordinate operations to ensure the highest turnout for the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP).

He runs the Gik Der Community Centre in North London, known as the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, which was established in 1991.

Gik Der works with labour organisations and community groups, providing education and cultural activities and has just moved into its new premises in Tottenham.

During our meeting I noticed supporters of the main opposition party, People’s Republican Party (CHP), alongside friends from the Turkish and Kurdish community who support the HDP.

Official party insignia is banned inside the hall and voters tell me that even wristbands with the colours red, green and yellow are not allowed due to their association with Kurdish culture and the HDP.

However supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) are easy to identify. One woman is bedecked from head to toe in the Turkish national flag, including a headscarf with the crescent and star emblazoned on it.

They aren’t keen to speak to me, partly because they don’t have anyone present that speaks English and my Turkish isn’t quite up to scratch. But they have also been eyeing me with suspicion having seen the warm and friendly welcome I received from HDP supporters who embraced me as well as fed me bread and, of course, Turkish tea.

Avcil explains that there are only 30 ballot boxes in the vast hall, compared to 52 in previous years. Authorities claimed that this was because the polling is being held at short notice, with only a month given for them to make preparations.

However the move echoes similar patterns inside Turkey where areas with high support for opposition parties, particularly in Kurdish areas, have had the number of ballot boxes reduced and polling stations moved outside major city centres, with voters facing up to a six-mile walk to cast their ballot.

“It has made life very difficult for Turkish and Kurdish people to cast their vote in Britain,” he says, explaining there are 98,000 eligible voters in the country. Around half of those registered voted, with a turnout of just under 50 per cent, up from previous years.

“People were turned away on Sunday as there were so many people here. Those that came waited for three hours until they could vote,” Avcil says, with queues backing up for a mile outside.

But he said people were keen to vote, seeing the elections as the most crucial in the country’s history, with an Erdogan victory “set to shut down democracy in the country for good.”

“These may be the last and final democratic elections held in Turkey because the choice is between a single-man dictator and democracy, between oppression and freedom.

“This election, more than ever, is an election between love and hate. 

He warns, however, that the tyrannical Erdogan is unlikely to accept defeat and expects there to be widespread fraud.

“They will do everything in their power, including using the army and the police to dictate the outcome of the election.”

Avcil was one of the organisers of a protests against the tyrant’s recent visit to London. He strongly condemned Theresa May’s government for “legitimising Erdogan’s dictatorship” by welcoming a “war criminal” to Downing Street.

He explained that many Turkish and Kurdish people living in Britain had fled their former homes “in fear of their lives,” having been persecuted by the state for their political beliefs and activities, and were appalled to see him invited to Britain.

And the community was appalled when it heard May’s praise for Erdogan and his fight against “Kurdish terrorism.”

Erdogan’s visit to London was “a landmark,” he explains, as no other European country would allow the authoritarian leader to visit and carry out his election propaganda. 

Avcil stressed the importance of a potential defeat for Erdogan in Sunday’s elections claiming there is “strong evidence” of his support for the Isis death-cult.

“The defeat of Erdogan is also the defeat of Isis,” he declares.

We discuss the possible outcomes and, as seems likely from the latest polling, the AKP will not win a majority in the Turkish parliament and the presidential elections are likely to go into a second round with Erdogan.

They could well support the CHP candidate Muharrem Ince who is likely to face-off against Erdogan in a head to head in July.

CHP co-ordinator in Britain Sibel Ozcelik agrees.

“We have had a good response from our supporters,” she says, handing me my fifth cup of tea of the evening. “Sorry it’s a bit cold,” she apologises.

Ozcelik is confident Erdogan is going to lose in the polls. “People are fed up after 16 years of his rule,” she explains.

We discuss the appalling human rights situation in the country, with 170,000 public sector workers sacked, thousands of academics purged from their posts and record numbers of journalists jailed.

“Sorry about that,” she says to me as she learns of my past detentions in Turkey.

“But this is so important to stress. If the CHP and Ince win the elections, then all political prisoners, all of those jailed by Erdogan will be released, including HDP former co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag.”

This is a bold promise by the CHP. They voted in favour of the AKP motion to lift immunity from prosecution for parliamentarians, which paved the way for the arrests of HDP politicians.

“Of course we have one of our MPs in prison too, along with 16 HDP deputies,” she explains.

“But anybody who opposes Erdogan is called a terrorist. And the Kurdish people have been targeted. This will all stop with Ince,” she promises.

Ozcelik is keen to stress the difficulties faced by women in Turkey. Erdogan has branded them “baby-machines” and criticised women who don’t have children. He insists that they should be pious and not work, spending time doing domestic chores.

He has closed down many of the social programmes aimed at women and called on them to have at least “five children” to keep Turkish ethnicity pure.

“Women face oppression in Turkey,” she explains. “Eight women are killed every week,” she says, having recently completed a masters degree on the subject.

But if CHP wins, Turkey will see a new type of government. Ozcelik tells me that it would be inclusive and even invite HDP MPs into their cabinet.

“Nobody will be excluded on the grounds of their ethnicity, culture, religion or language,” she says, reiterating Ince’s promise that the Kurdish language will be officially recognised and taught in schools.

“I’m tired but happy. I believe and hope that human rights and democracy will win.

“Freedom is going to come,” she said.

As people left the hall, people gathered posing for photographs celebrating the closing of the polls. As I made my way back to the lift and to the waiting transport I walked past a group posing with a number of Turkish flags. 

They struck a familiar but chilling pose — the symbol of Turkish fascists, the Grey Wolves. While they were unwilling to speak to me, their message was clear and it is one which should concern progressives.

Democracy is at stake on Sunday and we must learn the lessons of history and stand with our Turkish and Kurdish brothers and sisters.

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