Ahmet AKARSU
Kayseri

A four-day ceasefire has been declared after Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages, but the death toll in Israel's attack on Palestine has exceeded 14,000. Since the first day, when the US and Europe openly supported Israel, the AKP government in Turkey has limited its stance to heroics. In Turkey, where the reciprocal agreements with Israel have not been cancelled, pro-government circles, especially the youth branches of the AKP, are organising actions such as boycotting canteens and avoiding Israeli products.

IS THIS REALLY A BOYCOTT?

As in the rest of the country, there are pickets outside Starbucks cafeterias in Kayseri. As the chant "Don't buy drinks there, we're giving away coffee too" echoes through Cumhuriyet Square, it's strange and comical that people are buying and throwing away Coke to boycott Israel!
While the purpose and importance of a boycott is to enable people to impose their own sanctions and criticise the government's policies, in practice it only serves to play into the hands of Erdoğan and the AKP by preventing the working class' sensitivities from turning into a real reaction. It is also clear that calling for Turkey to distance itself from Israel is far from what Erdoğan and the AKP want. In reality, these boycott calls have polarised the real working class.

EXAMPLE OF THE KAYSERİ WORKERS

A more striking example: A group of workers in Kayseri leave work and go to Migros, owned by Kayseri-born Tuncay Özilhan, in search of discounted items. When they noticed certain goods on sale, they asked the Migros workers and were told that the discounted items were of Israeli origin. For example, the price of washing powder has dropped from 400 liras to 200 liras. The workers have a long discussion among themselves about whether or not to buy. In the end, they decide to buy the product with the money they have. After examining the goods, they remark: "There are very few domestic Turkish products here".
Capitalists make profits in different ways and add them to their profits. Firstly, why are Israeli goods sold at a discount? Doesn't this lead to an increase in sales? Secondly, doesn't it mean that we have paid a high price for these goods if they are also sold at a discount? Are those who offer discounts essentially saying: "Let's sell out of the Israeli goods quickly and then we won't sell them again"? It is worth noting that Coca-Cola's Turkish partner has the same name as Tuncay Özilhan's Anadolu Group. The capitalists will use all means and methods to deceive. In August, Coca-Cola, whose partner in Turkey is the Anadolu Group, received 590 million in incentives. It is the same capitalist who sells Israeli goods at a discount, who is the Turkish partner of Coca-Cola and who receives incentives from the state.

MUSLIMS DIE, BUT PRODUCTION CONTINUES

Most of the factories in Kayseri's furniture and metal industries produce goods for Israel. The subject of Israel's genocide is a common one among workers in Kayseri. Curses are uttered by many, but the refrain "There is nothing we can do" is just as common. Some believe that "Israel is a powerful country and Turkey can't do anything", while others express the sentiment "We will go to Gaza and die". Fewer people now say that "Erdoğan is standing up to Israel", but many believe that "Erdoğan is moving forward sensibly". Many workers doubt the sincerity of Turkey's stance on Israel, while others say, "Our Muslim brothers are being massacred in Palestine, so let's fight too". A worker in a metal factory that produces for Israel asks: "Our boss is a religious person. They say religion is life as a whole, and he's one of them. Everyone knows that Muslims are dying, so why doesn't he cut his ties with Israel? Bosses always benefit from chaos".
On the other hand, a worker in the military sector in Kayseri reveals: "We have been informed that the bombed Indonesian hospital in Gaza was recently targeted by tanks. It's a bitter truth that the maintenance, repair and modernisation of these tanks have been carried out in Kayseri in recent years".

THERE IS A NEED FOR THE FACTS TO BE PRESENTED MORE CLEARLY

A metal worker who works in a small company says that he tries to explain to his colleagues that Erdoğan, the capitalists and the imperialists are insincere and only interested in their own interests. He says that all the workers laugh and cannot answer when he says that the state gives incentives to Tuncay Özilhan. The worker argues that there is no real support for Palestine and says: "Social media is so influential that most of the workers think that Erdoğan is against Israel in one way or another". The same metalworker says that even among workers who blindly support Erdoğan, suspicion is creeping in to some extent, and that the thought "This is what Erdoğan said, but maybe..." is spreading. As a reason, he points to comparisons with speeches he has made in the past. He talks about the necessity of "presenting and emphasising the facts more and showing the contradictions within the working class".

(Translated by Tim Drayton)