EUROPE: NO TO REPRESSION OF ANTI-IMPERIALISTS! FREE THE TURKISH AND ITALIAN LEFTISTS!
League for the 5th International (ArbeiterInnenstandpunkt is the Austrian section of the L5I)

The League for the 5th International (L5I) condemns the arrest and persecution of supporters of the Turkish left-wing group Revolutionary People’s Liberation Front DHKC and the Italian Anti-Imperialist Camp (AIC) on the morning of 1 April.

They have been arrested under the pretext of combating terrorism. In fact, the DHKC has a long history of fighting against the military-dominated regime in Turkey and the AIC has recently been involved in a solidarity campaign with the Iraqi resistance against the imperialist occupation.

These arrests show the true character of the recent decision by the European Union to intensify the so-called struggle against terrorism. It shows that the ruling classes of the EU are targeting political opponents who exercise their democratic right of protest.

The L5I condemns reactionary terrorist acts like the bombing in Madrid on 11 March. But we defend resolutely the right of oppressed people to fight against occupation such as in Iraq or Palestine and we therefore defend those who act in solidarity with these resistance struggles against persecution.

Independently of the different political positions we have, we are in unambiguous solidarity with the persecuted activists of the DHKC and AIC and we demand their immediate release.

League for the 5th International, 2 April