Şaziye Köse, co-chair of the HDP Labor Commission, issued a written statement to mark 1 May, International Unity, Solidarity and Struggle Workers' Day.

The statement said: "It is not the pandemic which caused the crisis in Turkey and the world. Severe economic crises were already there, what the pandemic did was to deepen them. Governments disregarded public health by saying 'economy first' with packages prioritizing capital rather than people."

The statement continued: "The one-man regime organizes the campaign 'Stay at home' and puts the responsibility on the people and individuals. By saying 'export-production', it obeys the rule of capital and compels millions of workers to work.

This pandemic is also a health system crisis. This pandemic is also an ecology crisis. Outbreaks from animals to humans have increased in the 21st century, and the coronavirus is a new example of this."

The statement added: "The AKP and the Palace regime evaluated this crisis, which is their own work, as an opportunity to maintain the capital accumulation model and to consolidate the monopoly regime through the fear of death, panic and isolation, and turned it into a political quarantine to put the society in. Workers, laborers were left with the option of starving and dying."

Celebrating 1 May everywhere

The HDP said: "We will be everywhere on this 1 May to knit a new life. We will be raising the struggle in homes, balconies, streets, hospital gardens, factories. Let's celebrate 1 May."