While the two-day general strike witnessed large participation across Turkey, thousands of people and workers took to streets in Ankara where Saturday's twin blasts claimed the lives of over a hundred people and left as many wounded.

The general strike declared by four main trade unions in Turkey in protest at the massacre in Ankara has witnessed massive participation across the country, bringing the life to a halt.

The slogans of “Thief-Murderer Erdoğan”, “The dictator will be defeated, the people will win” were resonated in all the streets of Ankara as thousands flocked to the streets in the city, vowing to bring the AKP government and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to account.

Gathering at central Ziya Gökalp Street, thousands of workers from two main trade unions KESK and DİSK opened a banner which read “We are mourning, we are striking”, and carrying the photos of the victims of the twin blasts. The trade unions, also supported by many leftist organisations, made a statement amid angry slogans directed at the AKP ruling and the the Turkish president Erdoğan.

Addressing to the crowd here, head of DISK, Kani Beko said said those responsible for the massacre are those who demanded 400 deputies and added: “I call out the dictator once again here. You will be drowned in the blood you have shed”.

Beko said the massacre targeted those who gathered against the ruling of the Palace and the war policies of those who shed blood. He said it was peace envoys, carnations and pigeons of peace were murdered in mass in Ankara.

Beko stressed that the murderers are evident, whom they know very well from the previous blasts in Diyarbakır, Adana and Suruç. “We also know them from May 1977 in Taksim. We know those contemptible and dishonourable ones very well”, he said.

Speaking after, co-chair of KESK, Şadiye Köse, said those massacred came to Ankara to ask the rulers of the country “How much longer will we sacrifice the bodies of our youth? How much longer will you perform dances of war on our bodies?”. Köse said the massacres will not make them give up on their demand for peace.

In the meantime, health workers, lawyers, transportation workers in Ankara also joined the strike in mass, while students of universities and high schools also boycotted the classes.

The strike started in Ankara with one minute’s silence in almost all the workplaces, schools and many other places at the time of the blasts at 10:04.

“You cannot mourn by working or laughing”

Gathering in front of Ankara Courthouse, lawyers from various organisations announced participation in the strike and nonattendance in court sessions for two days in protest at the massacre in Ankara. Head of Contemporary Lawyers’ Association (ÇHD), Selçuk Kozağaçlı, said “You cannot mourn by working and laughing. We will be boycotting work for two days in our workplaces. A real mourning means to resist fascism”. Libertarian Lawyers' Association (ÖHD) Ankara Branch co-chair Nuray Özdoğan said lawyers will closely follow the case on the massacre.

Boycott at universities

Students and academics at Ankara University gathered on Cebeci Campus where they held a march to the entrance gate and they left carnations on the street before holding one minute’s silence at 10:04 in memory of the victims. Students and academics at Hacettepe and Middle East Technical University also boycotted the classes.

High school students boycott classes

In the meantime, high school students in Ankara have also boycotted the classes in support of the general strike. The students of Anatolian High School and Ege High School in Mamak district of Ankara took to the streets in protest at the massacre, while the school administration of Ege High School closed the doors of the school in an attempt to prevent the students from taking to the streets.

Health workers also joined the strike

Many health workers in Ankara hospitals also joined the strike and provided service only for emergency cases. All the members of the two biggest trade unions in health sector (SES and Dev-Sağlık İş) also joined the strike, as well as the physicians affiliated to Turkish Medical Association (TTB). Gathering in the garden of İbn-i Sina Hospital, hundreds of physicians announced participation in the strike for two days. The health workers joined the strike by wearing aprons on which it wrote “We are sad, we are angry, we are mourning”.