7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes struck the Turkey and "miracle" rescues continued on the 7th day.
The great solidarity of the peoples of Turkey in the aftermath of the earthquake, despite the incompetence of the authorities, has been and will continue to be tear-jerking.
But it is not only the solidarity of the peoples of Turkey that has brought tears to our eyes. The great earthquake has also provided and will continue to provide great examples of international solidarity.
The "level 4 alert" declared immediately after the earthquake was met with warm messages of condolence and the rapid departure of aid and rescue teams all over the world.
The world mobilized for the great earthquake disaster. Thousands of specialists with search and rescue teams, engineers, seismologists, search dogs and fully equipped field hospitals were in Turkey as early as the second day of the earthquake.
According to the statement made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) on 9 February;
The number of foreign search and rescue personnel from 66 countries, from the USA to China, from Germany to New Zealand, from India to Japan, was 6,479. In the statement, it was stated that 95 countries and 16 international organizations offered assistance, teams from 56 countries were in the field and teams from 19 countries would be in Turkey in the following hours.
It is also important to note here that Greece, Israel and Armenia, which are portrayed as "ancient enemies" by chauvinist nationalist centers in Turkey, also sent aid and rescue teams to Turkey for the earthquake.
The peoples of Turkey will certainly not forget that the state television of Greece, where Athens was targeted with threats as far as "We may come suddenly one night”* in the days preceding the earthquake, opened the day of the earthquake with the beautiful Black Sea folk song "I announced to the world that I love you...", and that the people of Turkey will not forget the help and warm messages from Armenia and Israel in these difficult days.
At least the "Greek, Armenian, Jewish" enmity of the chauvinist nationalist and religion-abusing politicians will no longer make as much of a premium as it used to!
The peoples of Turkey, especially the millions of earthquake victims, have once again realized that there is no reason why peoples should be enemies of each other.
However, the peoples are shown as enemies of each other because the interests of the rulers who rule the countries require it. However, the people have seen that the hand reaching out to them in the face of this greatest disaster is not only the hand of their surviving neighbors, relatives or citizens coming from cities such as Istanbul, Izmir, Trabzon etc., but also the hand of "foreigners" coming from all over the world, even those who are shown as enemies, and that this hand extends to them with the same warmth and compassion, and the longer the process goes on, the more they will see how important the solidarity of foreigners will be.
The 10 provinces hit by the earthquake are also among the provinces hosting the largest refugee populations in the world.
According to UN reports, one out of every two people living in Kilis and one out of every 4 or 5 people living in Antep, Urfa and Hatay are migrants.
The migration bureau of the Labour Party (EMEP) made a statement on 9 February and drew attention to the importance of solidarity with earthquake-stricken migrants. They demanded an explanation on how migrants, especially those in temporary accommodation centers and repatriation centers, were affected.
EMEP Migration Bureau demanded that the authorities provide information on the centers where migrants are held, and that the "city requirement" for migrants under temporary protection in earthquake zones, even in Istanbul, be lifted. Similar demands were also voiced by lawyers from the Progressive Lawyers' Association (ÇHD). As in other parts of the country, migrants in the earthquake zone were living in the most makeshift buildings with great difficulties.
In the earthquake they were trapped under the rubble like everyone else; it is not clear how much solidarity they were able to have with the locals in the cold, snow and rain, and how much they were able to benefit from the aid. Because migrants are not mentioned in the 24-hour live broadcasts on countless channels!
On the other hand, on social media, racist, fascist and anti-human centers publish photos and videos, most of which show migrants as thieves, robbers, looters and crowds trying to lynch them, although it is unclear when and where they were taken. Migrants are thus targeted by earthquake victims who are desperate, angry and do not know what to do. Thus, they aim to undermine the solidarity among the people and to provide legitimacy to increase the military and police pressure by provoking conflicts.
Racist-chauvinist centers are even trying to blame the anger and despair caused by the great destruction of the earthquake on the migrants.
Yes, the earthquake broke down the existing status difference between migrants and natives and equalized migrants and natives in terms of being earthquake victims!
However, even this undesirable equality, both the perception created about migrants by the campaign to send them back, which was carried out by chauvinist nationalist foci and capitalist parties before the earthquake, and the campaign mentioned above, which portrays migrants as thieves, bandits and looters, are trying to create pressure that will further intimidate migrants and discourage them from even applying to aid centers to receive the aid.
This is also today;
The solidarity of the earthquake victims with the local earthquake victims, opposing the racist chauvinist discourses and ensuring that they can benefit from the aid like the local people has become an even more important humanitarian duty than yesterday. In the struggle against the portrayal of immigrants as looters, thieves and bandits outside the earthquake zone, the advanced sections of workers and laborers and struggling trade unionists should consider the events as an occasion to realize the "fraternity of labour", which is a requirement of working class internationalism, and see them as an occasion to strengthen the unity and cohesion of our working class.
For these reasons, it has emerged as an important task for trade unions and labour organizations to intervene in the process in the manner required by working class internationalism, not only by providing material aid to the earthquake victims.
*"We may come suddenly one night”: While these words belong to a joyful Turkish song, Turkish chauvinists use it as a slogan to indicate their racist and sexist threats against other people.
İhsan Çaralan
Hediye Levent
Yusuf Karadaş
Yücel Özdemir