Left bloc: Silence will allow fascism to further gain ground

The left bloc of Labor and Freedom Alliance in Turkey, led by the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), urged other opposition parties not to remain silent in the face of a recent politically motivated mass arrest, saying, "Silence will allow fascism to further gain ground."

Less than three weeks to the coming elections on 14 May, over 120 Kurdish lawyers, human rights activists, journalists and political activists were detained on Tuesday as police squads stormed residences and offices in dawn raids in the Kurdish-majority province of Diyarbakir and 20 other provinces.

While the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), whose leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu will run in the presidential race with the support of both a six-party opposition bloc and the Labor and Freedom Alliance, has not reacted to the arrests, Kilicdaroglu himself has chosen to remain silent as well, and a part of the independent media have also turned a blind eye to the arrests.

In a written statement, the Labor and Freedom Alliance said on Thursday:

"The workers of the free press, lawyers and artists are among those who were detained on 25 April in politically motivated operations carried out in 21 provinces. This political operation is a Palace coup, conducted to impact the results of the elections on 14 May. It is part of the election campaign carried out by the AKP-MHP government, who is aware now that it is losing; a campaign carried out with the help of the police, prosecutors and judges. It is a conspiracy implemented through lies and fabricated statements that have nothing to do with facts. It has been conducted with the objective of rendering ineffective our political representatives who are engaged in efforts to convey the people's will, to silence the free press who work for the people's right to information, and to prevent lawyers from taking part in election security."

It added:

"All parties for freedom and democracy should stand up against this Palace coup that has been conducted to impact election results. We address all opposition; every silence will allow fascism to further gain ground."

The socialist parties in the Labor and Freedom Alliance alongside HDP are the Workers' Party of Turkey (TIP), Labor Party (EMEP), Pro-Labor Movement Party (EHP), Social Freedom Party (TOP) and Federation of Socialist Assemblies,