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Academics, artists call for 'Second National Forces'
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท Turkey /Culture & Society

Academics, artists call for 'Second National Forces'

From Cumhuriyet · () Turkish

Translated from Turkish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • A group identifying as the 'Second National Forces,' comprising intellectuals, academics, and artists, issued a joint statement.
  • The statement calls for an anti-imperialist struggle against U.S. imperialism and its domestic collaborators.
  • They warned against a potential return to the conditions of the Treaty of Sรจvres, vowing to prevent it.

A coalition of Turkish intellectuals, academics, and artists, calling themselves the 'Second National Forces,' has issued a strong call to action against perceived foreign influence and domestic complicity.

We are the inexhaustible successors of Mustafa Kemal Atatรผrk, the anti-imperialist who ignited the torch of our War of Independence on May 19, 1919, in Samsun; who defeated the seven imperialist powers on the battlefields; who threw the Treaty of Sรจvres, aiming to tear apart our homeland Anatolia, into the dustbin of history; and who declared the Republic of Turkey on October 29, 1923.

โ€” The Second National ForcesIn their joint statement, invoking historical parallels to the Turkish War of Independence.

Their joint statement, titled 'The Call of the Second National Forces,' invokes the spirit of the Turkish War of Independence, led by Mustafa Kemal Atatรผrk. They position themselves as successors to the original 'National Forces' who fought against imperialist powers and rejected the Treaty of Sรจvres.

The group explicitly targets U.S. imperialism and what they term its 'local collaborators,' accusing them of attempting to dismantle the secular republic and drag the country into the 'Great Middle East Project.' They also criticize perceived concessions regarding Aegean islands and the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.

Today, we call our patriotic people to struggle against those who want to drag our country into the quagmire of the Great Middle East Project, which is an open 'new Sรจvres' imposition by destroying our Secular Republic; against those who turn a blind eye to the occupation of 20 islands and 2 rocks in the Aegean for this project; against the U.S. Imperialism, the architect of many evils, and its local collaborators, who carry war to the Middle East in line with the interests of the imperialists.

โ€” The Second National ForcesDetailing their opposition to current political and foreign policy directions.

With a stark warning that 'history repeats itself if we do not learn,' the signatories declared their firm opposition to any regression from the principles established by the Treaty of Lausanne back to the terms of Sรจvres. The call includes prominent figures from academia, unions, and the arts.

If we do not learn, history repeats itself. We will not allow a return from Lausanne to Sรจvres.

โ€” The Second National ForcesConcluding their statement with a strong warning and resolve.
About this summary

Originally published by Cumhuriyet in Turkish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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