The consequences of tyranny never change

Ekrem Dumanlı

In this country, a group of people is always likened to a "tumor," treated as if it was a "virus,” the people declared "traitors" and subjected to propaganda saying that "they should be uprooted.”

Rightists, leftists, Alevis, Kurds, non-Muslim minorities and religious people; heavy insults and slanders have been hurled at these people in order to present them as criminals. Some of them have been labeled as fascists, while others are called communists and people have shouted "damn you" against each other. There is no difference between those who criminalize people's right to practice their religion using the pretext of religious reactionaryism and the mentality that declared our non-Muslim citizens -- including Armenians, Greeks and Syriacs -- to be traitors. For the mentality that defines the Kurdish people's most natural and democratic rights and freedoms as an offense, the Turkish people who were in peace with their history and religion were also a criminal threat. Because of the mentality that defines certain segments of society as traitors, this country has wasted time and an oppressive regime disguised itself by changing its appearances as its environments varied to preserve its power.

Now, certain groups want to make the Hizmet movement one of the victims of this lynching culture. First, they devised an imaginary and ambiguous crime against the Hizmet movement based on claims of a so-called "parallel state." However, this is such a vague crime that if those who blame the Hizmet movement for establishing a "parallel state" are accused of the same thing, these charges will seem well-founded, because of ambiguity of the claims.

If a crime has been committed, there should be concrete evidence of an illegal organization or elements such as violence and coercion, or weapons. If not, these claims are nothing but slander. Especially the claims of espionage. Those who accuse patriotic social groups of espionage either know nothing about the law, or undermine the rule of law because of their rage and hatred. It cannot be explained away as a coincidence that there is no concrete evidence to prove these doubts and claims. Putting people under suspicion via manipulative rumors and guided doubts is both a sin and a crime.

The developments that took place before the municipal elections of March 30 revealed a social reality: An 82-year-old man told the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli that he had supported the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) for years but now he is concerned about the future of his children -- who follow the teachings of Fethullah Gülen -- after the elections. Bahçeli's sincere words to comfort the old man were applauded by the crowd: "You are not alone."

MHP leader Bahçeli, who pursues politics based on Turkish nationalism, uttered these words. What about the political party which stands on the other side of the axis? The Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), whose policies are based on Kurdish nationalism, has made a clear and strong statement. BDP leader Selahattin Demirtaş said: "We cannot tolerate a lynching campaign against the Hizmet movement." Demirtaş's democratic stance was full of lessons to be learned for those who have been victimized before.

Of course, some of those who were once victimized have later become tyrants who make full use of the power of the state. However, the social and political spectrum does not unify around the tyranny. Neither the Republican People's Party (CHP) nor the Felicity Party (SP) nor the Grand Unity Party (BBP) support this lynching campaign against the Hizmet movement. Moreover, AK Party supporters, excluding the fanatics and the narrow-minded, are against this lynching campaign because the Hizmet movement has never resorted to illegal methods. The Hizmet movement, to which many people from all societal groups have emotional ties, is a democratic and civilian movement in Turkey. Alevis, Sunnis, Kurds, Turks, rightist, leftist, secular and anti-secular -- many people have established ties with the Hizmet movement and appreciate its efforts, from both inside and outside the movement.

Despite everything, there are some people who make accusations of crimes and present the Hizmet movement as an illegal organization and oppress those involved out of vengeance. And these people -- who will be in a very difficult situation when the history books are written and cannot justify their actions before God -- may launch a lynching campaign, as has happened in the past. However, it should not be forgotten that each tyranny will be condemned by the collective conscience of humanity and the “Utterly Just” will hold those who are responsible for this accountable. And the people who made ulterior-motivated conjectures and gossip, and hurled slander depending on the conjectural atmosphere of the time, will finally lose.

The consequence has never changed: Social groups that have been subjected to slander and insults and have been “uprooted” have never been completely eliminated and indeed cannot be eliminated. There is no exception to this. No social group can be completely eliminated as a result of tyranny imposed via state power; on the contrary -- they become more powerful. Why?

Because a movement which is based on an idea cannot be uprooted via oppression and tyranny. During the military coup of Sept.12, 1980, hundreds of thousands of people were arrested and tortured and the courts gave death sentences to dozens of people. Have the leftist or rightist movements in Turkey been destroyed? Indeed, there is nothing left of the despotic coup leaders, but the ideas of the oppressed survived. There are still people who define themselves as social democrats, socialists, leftists, ülkücü (idealists) and nationalists. The political parties inspired by these ideologies continue to receive votes in their millions. Those who were declared to be a "virus" during the Feb. 28 process, and faced charges of reactionaryism, have come to power.

Resorting to a tyranny that always reaches the same conclusion and paves the way for oppression leads to nothing but being held accountable by history. And it is enough to look at our recent past in order to see this fact -- if, of course, they still have any common sense left.

Published on Sunday's Zaman, 06 April 2014, Sunday