Five youth and student organizations from Switzerland have released a statement declaring their solidarity with the Boğaziçi University students and academics who have been protesting against the appointment of a new rector by president Erdoğan.

The statement by the organizations Secours Rouge Genève, Jeunes POP Genève, Jeunesse Solidaire Genève, Conférence Universitaire des Association d'Etudiant.e.x.s and Jeunes Kurdes Genève includes the following:

“For more than 5 weeks, the youth has been demonstrating against the authoritarian and fascist power of Erdogan and the AKP. Indeed, the demonstrations began at the university of Boğaziçi following the appointment of an incompetent rector who is close to the AKP party. The extent of this rejection by the scientific and academic community can be explained by the fact that President Erdogan has arrogated to himself the right to appoint the rector of the university in disregard of the laws and the autonomy of academic institutions.

It would be easy to dismiss the protests as the grumbling of privileged middle-class students. For even though Boğaziçi is a public university providing free tuition free education, the requirement to speak English and pass rigorous examinations makes it inaccessible to most ordinary people. But this ignores the dynamics of the demonstration and the broad support it has generated across the country, as protests in defence of LGBT rights and freedom of expression have led to a kind of awakening. In addition, several former students of the university have joined various revolutionary organisations, including Suphi Nejat Agirnasli who died defending the city of Kobane during the siege of Daesh in 2014.

The first student demonstrations were followed by unprecedented repression with the arrest of 159 students on 2 February this year. The struggling students have been labelled as vandals, terrorists or "LGBT degenerates"; by the ruling government. In the face of this repression and provocation, protests have been growing in the country, exceeding the demands of the students at Boğaziçi. Students from other universities in Istanbul have shown solidarity and demonstrations have taken place in Izmir and Ankara.

This protest is becoming so widespread that the ruling power and its reactionary allies are on the brink of collapse and are trying to discredit the movement. Recently the conservative newspaper Yeni Akit published a page with portraits of the mobilised professors with their first and last names under the title “They are not academics, but supporters of the terrorists”.

The repression of the student movement is part of a much wider context. Erdogan and his AKP party, together with its ultra-nationalist and fascist ally the MHP, aim to rebuild the Ottoman Empire and unify Turkey under a single national identity. That is to say: the Turkish language, a religion (Sunnism) and a flag. This is why fierce repression is being carried out against all dissident voices. Since the creation of the Republic of Turkey, ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities have been subjected to violent cultural assimilation. The Kurdish, Armenian and Greek peoples and the Alevi religious minority are the first victims. The LGBT community in Turkey is also severely repressed as it is considered deviant.

Since the Gezi Park revolt in 2013, which challenged the premises of the fascist regime, repression against left-wing and progressive forces has only increased. University professors, teachers, lawyers and judges have been dismissed under the pretext of supporting terrorist organisations. Repression also strongly affects workers, students and trade unionists who fight against fascism and capitalism.

In view of these elements, Erdogan’s regime can only be considered a fascist dictatorship. At this very moment, thousands of activists are being kidnapped, tortured and imprisoned. It is not possible for us to remain silent and mute.

Once again the Western states are putting their economic and political interests first. They remain passive in the face of Turkey’s exactions and even participate in its war effort. Whether during the Turkish army invasions in Syria, Rojava and Iraqi Kurdistan, European states provide arms, tanks and logistical support for the regime’s expansionist campaigns. This proves to us that we must build class and internationalist solidarity. This solidarity must be expressed here, that is to say in Europe. In Switzerland, we must fight the interests of profiteers such as arms companies like RUAG and Reihnmetall or the Credit Suisse, which participates in the financing of arms companies. In addition, there are many Swiss companies with economic interests in Turkey.

In support of the students of Boğaziçi, left-wing organisations and the people of Turkey and Kurdistan, it is time to act and fight fascism. Solidarity is our weapon!”