17 anarchist organisations from Italy, Germany, New Zealand, Catalonia, Spain, Switzerland, Colombia, Turkey, Brazil, North Korea, Rojava and France released a joint statement calling for solidarity with those affected by the devastating earthquakes on February 6.

Pointing to the AKP regime’s prevention of progressive organisations from collecting donations and providing much-needed relief and solidarity, the anarchist organisations stated that the system of state and capitalism are responsible for far more deaths and much more suffering than that caused by the earthquakes themselves.

The statement by 17 anarchist organizations, which are now launching a fundraising drive to support the work on the ground, includes the following:

“The earthquakes of 6 February and their aftershocks have devastated entire regions. The death toll is in the tens of thousands and continues to rise. Access to water, electricity, gas, food and other basic necessities is reduced or non-existent for millions of people.

Our comrades in anarchist organisations, grassroots unions and popular organisations are working together and are directly involved in the relief efforts.

We are now launching a fundraising drive to support the work of these organisations.

The AKP regime prevents progressive organisations from collecting donations and providing much-needed relief and solidarity.

To give but one example: on the day of the earthquakes – in a show of solidarity known only by the workers and oppressed – the Independent Mine Workers’ Union immediately declared it was ready to send its members to the affected areas to help with search and rescue operations in the most critical 24 hours after the earthquakes. They were prevented from doing so for two days by the state.

A state which would prefer to have workers risking their lives underground, extracting profits for the ruling class rather than saving the lives of tens of thousands of people buried under the rubble of their own homes. Buried under buildings constructed by housing mafias that – with the complicity of the state, which neglects to enforce building codes and safety regulations – do whatever they can to reap a profit by ignoring safety standards and cutting costs; even if it costs tens of thousands of people their lives.

Humanitarian aid is confiscated and redistributed by the AKP and its Islamo-fascist offices. Fascists and their counterparts in the civil police threaten to ‘disappear’ ordinary people working around the clock to feed and provide aid to those displaced by the earthquakes.

Clearly, the state and its supporters are more concerned with maintaining the capitalist system than saving the lives of tens of thousands. This is why they disrupt and delay grassroots solidarity and mutual aid.

In this horrific tragedy, which is still far from over, the system of the state and capitalism are responsible for far more deaths and much more suffering than that caused by the earthquakes themselves. But we will wrap our open wounds in the solidarity of the workers and the oppressed.

In order to guarantee the safety of our comrades, we will not disclose the names of the organisations for which the donations are intended. They are anarchist organisations, grassroots unions and popular organisations with whom we already work and who have our full trust.

The donations are collected by our comrades in Switzerland who already have an international solidarity structure. In addition to our anarchist and trade unionist comrades, part of the donations will go to the Swiss branch of the Kurdistan Red Crescent (Heyva Sor).”

Send your donations to:
Association pour la Promotion de la Solidarité Internationale (APSI)
Place Chauderon 5
1003 Lausanne
Switzerland

IBAN: CH84 0900 0000 1469 7613 8

SWIFT/BIC: POFICHBEXXX

Name of the Bank: PostFinance SA; Mingerstrasse 20; 3030 Bern; Switzerland

Signed by:

☆ Alternativa Libertaria (AL/FdCA) – Italy
☆ Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement (AWSM) – Aotearoa/New Zealand
☆ Federación Anarquista Uruguaya (FAU) – Uruguay
☆ Embat, Organització Llibertària de Catalunya – Catalonia, Spain
☆ Libertäre Aktion (LA) – Switzerland
☆ Organisation Socialiste Libertaire (OSL) – Switzerland
☆ Grupo Libertario Vía Libre – Colombia
☆ Karala – Turkey
☆ Corodenação Anarquista Brasileira – Brazil
☆ Die Plattform – Germany
☆ Anarchist Yondae – South Korea
☆ Rusga Libertária – Brazil
☆ Federação Anarquista do Rio de Janeiro (FARJ) – Brazil
☆ Organização Anarquista Socialismo Libertário (OASL) – Brazil
☆ Coletivo Mineiro Popular Anarquista (COMPA) – Brazil
☆ Union Communiste Libertaire (UCL) – France
☆ Tekoşîna Anarşîst (TA) – Rojava