Anti-Nuclear Front was in action in Istanbul against the nuclear plans in Anatolia and Thrace

WE WON’T LET THEM BUILD A NUCLEAR FUTURE

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     Anti-Nukleer Cephe (ANC - Anti-Nuclear Front) made an action against the nuclear plans in Anatolia and Thrace. The government hand-in-hand with global usurpers wants to build 3 or 5 nuclear power plants in Anatolia and Thrace. The certain decision has not been declared yet, but the Minister of Energy speaks of constructing nuclear power plants. ANC has begun its campaign against the nuclear greed of the power with distributing pamphlets on February 17.

     The next day (Feb. 18) ANC made an action to declare that we won’t permit the nuclear attempts of the government and capitalists. Shouting the slogans “No Nuclear”, “Imagination to Action Against Nuclear”, “Stubbornness Against Nuclear, Long Live Life!”, ANC activists marched to Galatasaray Square in Istanbul. Activists were wearing gas masks which will be our daily wear if we permit nuclear power plants (of course if we survive!) and carrying the banners “Stubbornness Against Nuclear, Long Live Life!” and “No Nuclear ‘Lan’” (‘Lan’ is a slang _expression which is daily used addressing men. We can translate it into English as ‘buddy’ or ‘fellow’ but we must emphasize that it is generally used when you are angry. About a week ago, Prime Minister R. Tayyip Erdogan was protested by a farmer and angrily scolded him with using the word ‘lan’. This is not a word that you expect to hear from a prime minister!)

     ANC activists read a declaration briefly telling: The nuclear power plants are ‘time A-bombs’, and we won’t let you (the power) to put a time A-bomb in the heart of the land we live on. You (the policy makers) are averagely between 50-70 years old, so you won’t be those who will be affected from a potential “accident” in the plants. So the nuclear plants are bombs made to kill the youth and children of today, even the ones who have not been born yet. The nuclear power plants will bring more poverty to the poor, and money to the rich. Nuclear power plants will provide the energy for the global usurpers to attack us and our brothers and sisters in the near geography. We will struggle against the nuclear greed of government and capitalism everywhere and always. We are against nuclear, we are against nuclear weapons and war, against the work and bread coming from the nuclear, even against the “light” coming from it! We prevented it in 1999 and if we want we can stop again. We are the front of the unborn children, we are the front of freedom against the usurpers of life, we are Anti-Nuclear Front. And we declare: we will never ever let you build them!

     ANC activists went on shouting slogans “Nuclear Future Will Be Prevented”, “We Can Stop If We Want”, “If Not Now Then When, If Not Us Then Who” and the ones written above.

     It was a good and effective action for the beginning of anti-nuclear campaign.

     The state in cooperation with the global capitalism decided to construct nuclear power plants in Anatolia and Thrace. Building nuclear power plants have been the “dream” of power since 1960’s, but no plant has been built till today in Anatolia and Thrace. The last adjudication attempt for nuclear plant of government had been in 1999, but at that time both the anti-nuclear struggle and the ‘rant competition’ of the political parties constituting the coalition (each party had wanted different consortiums win the adjudication) had made the attempt fruitless.

     Today government has begun to speak of building nuclear power plants again. Also this time they want to build 3 or 5 plants. But they don’t say “we have decided” yet, but they use “we want to”. Justice and Development Party (AKP) government hand-in-hand with mainstream media is trying to manufacture consent, for especially the northern part of Anatolia (Black Sea region) had been deeply effected from Chernobyl in 1986 (cancer incidents rise after 20 years, and there is one cancer incident almost in every home in the region) and people generally is normally afraid of nuclear energy.

     In 1998 and 1999, government had made cuts in electricity to convince people that they needed nuclear power plants. Now they are preparing again to use the same methods. Everyday there are articles in the mainstream media about the “energy need” and it’d be better to be provided from nuclear power plants.

     Of course, there is also the “Iran crisis”. Nationalistic and militarist propaganda is in operation: “Iran will have nuclear power plants, and it can have nuclear weapons. So we have to have nuclear power plants to protect ourselves”. Also the nuclear power plants of “historical enemy” Armenia is another argument for the power. The reciprocal nuclear passion of the powers leads our region into a foolish nuclear war conditions.

     The nuclear power plants are very important for the global capitalists that want to use Anatolia as a base for attacking Middle East and Central Asia. If the power succeeds to construct the plants, the attack of the global capitalism will be stronger and bloodier for us who live in Thrace and Anatolia and for our brothers and sisters especially in Middle East and Asia.

     Therefore to stop the global powers’ nuclear greed in Anatolia is very vital for stopping the war and general capitalist assault to humanity. If we can block the nuclear attempt here (and we sure can!), capitalist globalization will face a hard smash, and we will hit its vulnerable point.

     Besides the significance of anti-nuclear struggle in an ecological point of view, the nuclear plans for Anatolia and Thrace have this kind of importance.

     The Feb. 18 action of ANC is a start for ANC’s anti-nuclear struggle. It will go on till we stop the nuclear plans entirely. The actions against nuclear will take place in many points of Istanbul, pamphlets and posters will be distributed. As we know that nuclear assault of the power is in operation through our daily life, the anti-nuclear struggle will be a part of our daily life!

ANTI-NUKLEER CEPHE (ANTI-NUCLEAR FRONT)

www.antinukleer.org | anc@antinukleer.org

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