A number of revolutionaries, including members of various left-wing and youth organizations, were detained during early-morning police raids conducted in Eskişehir on the morning of June 12, according to a statement released by Revolutionary Students Union, Türkiye.
The statement alleges that the detentions were carried out in the lead-up to the upcoming NATO summit and were aimed at suppressing anti-imperialist and anti-fascist political activity. Activists described the operation as part of a broader campaign targeting those who oppose NATO, imperialism, and what they characterize as local collaborators.
“We know very well the reasons behind these attacks,” the statement said. “Our comrades, who refuse to tolerate imperialism and its local collaborators, who continue to intensify the struggle against fascism and imperialism, and who refuse to abandon the streets or surrender their will, are once again being targeted.”
The organizations involved condemned the detentions and warned that police repression would not weaken their political activities. They argued that arrests, detentions, and other forms of state pressure have historically failed to suppress popular resistance and social movements.
The statement also called on revolutionary youth to strengthen solidarity and continue mobilizing in the spirit of the “Denizler”—a reference to the legacy of Turkish revolutionary figures such as Deniz Gezmiş and his comrades, who remain influential symbols within the Turkish left.
Activists further demanded the immediate release of all detainees and vowed to continue organizing against NATO and imperialism despite the crackdown.
“Detentions, arrests, and repression cannot intimidate us,” the statement declared. “Our comrades must be released immediately.”
The incident comes amid heightened political tensions surrounding NATO-related events in Türkiye, where left-wing, anti-war, and anti-imperialist groups have announced various protests and mobilizations against the military alliance.
The following is the full text of the statement of the Revolutionary Students Union, Türkiye:
To the revolutionary public and our people;
Yesterday morning in Eskişehir, a large number of revolutionaries, including diye of our comrades, were detained during house raids carried out in the early hours of the morning.
We know very well the reasons behind these attacks, which took place ahead of the NATO summit. Our comrades—who refuse to tolerate imperialism and its local collaborators on this land, who are intensifying the struggle against fascism and imperialism, who refuse to abandon the streets, and who refuse to surrender their will—are once again being targeted.
However, repression, detentions, and arrests will never stop our struggle. We call on the revolutionary youth to raise the flag of the Denizler to strengthen solidarity and intensify the struggle against detentions and arrests.
DETENTIONS, ARRESTS, AND REPRESSION CANNOT INTIMIDATE US!
OUR COMRADES MUST BE RELEASED IMMEDIATELY
