History professor at Lausanne University and Geneva Canton MP Jean Batou said that Erdoğan openly wanted to move Turkey into a dictatorial system. Batou said that the Erdoğan regime is fragile and added: “If the Kurdish people’s struggle for freedom and democracy is supported, Erdoğan’s authoritative system can be stopped.”

History professor at Lausanne University and Geneva Canton MP Jean Batou spoke to the ANF on the policies put forth by Turkish President Erdoğan and what the one-man rule attempted to be established with the presidential system means.

“HE ATTACKED THE OPPOSITION USING THE COUP ATTEMPT”

Batou stated that after the July 15 military coup attempt, Erdoğan took advantage of the coup attempt to strengthen his authority in the country further, and that Erdoğan declared war on all opposition he sees as against him, using the coup attempt as an excuse.

Jean Batou said the success the HDP achieved in the June 7 elections frightened Erdoğan deeply and added: “When HDP’s success became a big obstacle on the path of Erdoğan, who wants to move the country into a one-man system, he took back the power he lost through the undemocratic reelection he forced the country to. Then Erdoğan took advantage of the military coup attempt, and through attacking Kurds and all democratic circles, he started to clear the path to the system he wants to establish.”

“THE KURDISH PEOPLE’S STRUGGLE IS THE LARGEST OBSTACLE ON ERDOĞAN’S PATH”

Batou stated that Erdoğan tries to strengthen the steps on the path to an authoritarian regime through attacks on the media, NGOs, the judiciary, the academy and many other areas, and continued: “While these steps were taken, he started to attack the biggest opposition force HDP and democratic circles that resisted him. We are faced with a regime that shuts their eyes to democracy. But considering the resistance of the Kurdish people and the democratic circles and the economic crisis the country is facing, we can say that this understanding of a regime will not be sustainable.”

“EUROPE IS SILENT IN THE FACE OF ERDOĞAN DUE TO THEIR INTERESTS”

Jean Batou said Europe can’t pressure Turkey due to their economic and political agreements and added that Turkey threatens to open the gates to send the refugees in the country rushing into Europe, and that contributes to the silence a lot.

“On the other hand, Europe and the world powers can’t play a significant role against Turkey due to international economic policies,” said Batou, and stated that Europe’s and other world powers’ primary concern isn’t democracy in Turkey.

Jean Batou stressed that Europe doesn’t do much to intervene with the path Turkey is on and pointed out that recently, the politicians with a similar mentality as Erdoğan have been on the rise in Europe. Batou said: “In the US, Russia, France and many other countries, Erdoğan-like politicians are on the rise. Social inequality is increasing worldwide. In many countries, just like Erdoğan, politicians try to rouse feelings of racism and nationalism to garner power from the friction between societies. Unemployment, poverty and social injustice that are on the rise worldwide are attempted to be covered up by leaving them behind the fury created through racist policies.”

“DESPITE EUROPE’S STANCE, LEFTISTS AND SOCIALISTS SHOULD TAKE ACTION”

Batou stressed the importance of worldwide leftist/socialist circles and militants to show international solidarity with the Kurdish people and the democratic circles against the stance of Europe and the world powers, and continued: “Like in Rojava, the struggle of the Kurdish people in Turkey against the Erdoğan regime should be supported. Leftist/socialist groups should also force European leaders to support the Kurdish people and the democratic values under threat in Turkey. Europe can easily manage this through economic and political pressure.”

“A REFERENDUM UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES WON’T BE DEMOCRATIC”

Batou also spoke on the presidential system that gives all the authority to a single man, and stated that the circumstances the referendum will be held under are very important, and a referendum to be held under such circumstances where the attacks on the opposition and the democratic forces continues will not be democratic or realistic.

“ERDOĞAN IS UTILIZING METHODS THAT LEAD TO DICTATORSHIPS”

Batou stated that there is always a limit among dictatorships and authoritarian regimes and stressed that all authoritarian regimes utilized the same methods as Erdoğan while transitioning to dictatorial regimes. Batou pointed out that Turkey is openly on the path to dictatorship: “Coming to power through democratic elections, then not respecting democratic elections that diminish their own power, arresting the opposition against them and strengthening the authoritarian regime by protecting their own existence through antidemocratic elections in an atmosphere without opposition. These are the methods those on the path to dictatorship use.”

“THE MOST IMPORTANT FORCE TO STOP ERDOĞAN IS THE KURDISH OPPOSITION”

Batou stated that the most important force to stop the Erdoğan regime is the resistance of the Kurdish people and added: “The resistance put forth by the Kurdish people and the democratic leftist circles is the biggest obstacle on the one-man system Erdoğan wants to implement. As Erdoğan can’t destroy all of the opposition yet, most importantly the Kurds, Erdoğan’s wish for a dictatorship can be stopped. Permanent dictators manage to destroy all opposition in the country. The transition into a permanent dictatorship still hasn’t been achieved because the Kurds who strive for democracy couldn’t be destroyed.”

“IF THE KURDISH PEOPLE ARE SUPPORTED, ERDOĞAN CAN BE STOPPED”

Batou stated that the Erdoğan regime has a fragile structure, and that if the Kurdish people and the democratic circles are supported, Erdoğan can be stopped. Batou said: “I want to reiterate this: leftist and socialist forces in Europe and around the world, their militants, the progressive forces, unions, build bonds with the Kurdish people and the democratic circles and support their struggle, the Erdoğan regime can be stopped with ease. The same solidarity that was displayed for the Palestinian people should be displayed for the Kurdish people too. If the Kurdish people’s struggle for democracy and freedom is supported, the fragile Erdoğan regime can be stopped.”