#MayDay: From Havana to Istanbul, millions of workers honored the 1st of May (Photos)

Millions of working class people, from Cuba to Turkey and from Japan to the United States, gathered in the streets to honor the 1st of May, the International Workers' Day, 132 years since the slaughter of the workers in Chicago:

Havana, Cuba

Following a tradition of the last decades, the largest and most impressive May Day rally is organized in the Cuban capital, with millions of people participating in the march across Havana, gathering at the city's Plaza de la Revolucion. 

Joint declaration by the Communist Parties of Greece (KKE) and Turkey (TKP)

On the occasion of the International Workers' Day, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) issued a joint statement in which they "address warm militant greetings to the working class, to the people of both countries", calling them to strengthen the "common struggle against the bourgeois governments and the antipeople policy, the capital and its power, to massively condemn the imperialist wars and to develop the struggle for the overthrow of the capitalist barbarity, for socialism which is the people's future". 

Defying Erdogan: Turkey's Communist Party will nominate candidates for June elections

Despite the decision of the country's Suprepe Electoral Council to prohibit its participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections in June, the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) is determined to fight against Erdogan government's authoritarianism and will nominate candidates under the slogan "This social order must change". 

TKP WILL NOMINATE INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES for the PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS.

Erdogan's regime prohibits Communists from participating in June elections

According to soL international latest report, Turkey's top election authority has ruled the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) will not be allowed to run in June 24 snap elections. 

Supreme Election Board (YSK) has also not approved the participation of the leftist ÖDP and EMEP. YSK, which acts according to the directives of the AKP government, announced that only 10 political parties were eligible to take part in the elections. 

TKP statement on Turkey's early elections: "We hold our salvation in our own hands"

Following the call by President Rejep Tayyip Erdogan to hold early elections on June 24th, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) issued a statement:

"Turkey is experiencing a political gridlock which binds both the ruling party and opposition parties. This gridlock cannot be eliminated with early elections as suggested by Erdoğan and his partner Bahçeli. 

For at the root of this gridlock, there lies the Turkish economy that has come to an almost complete standstill; there lies the Turkish foreign policy which tosses and turns restlessly within the imperialist world; there lies internal policies which fail to go to the root of the problem but fiddle with fake solutions; there lies the fact that large masses are condemned to despair and helplessness; there lies this social order that persistently creates poverty, unemployment, injustice and tyranny.

Hands Off Syria! Communist Parties across the world denounce imperialist barbarity

Communist and Workers' Parties across the world have reacted to the imperialist attack on Syria, strongly condemning the US-Britain-France intervention (to be updated):

"You will surely pay for this crime" say the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) in its statement. "When the people of Syria disrupted your plans, when the reactionary-collaborationist gangs you supported in every way possible were struck by the resistance of the people, you resorted to treachery and fraud".

KKE - TKP ☭ Greek and Turkish Communists against Imperialism [VIDEO]

The Communist Party of Turkey demands: "Leave NATO, close down Incirlik base!"

A campaign of collecting signatures against NATO has been launched by the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), demanding Turkey's disengagement from the imperialist North Atlantic alliance and the closure of the Incirlik military base. 

Members of the Communist Party have already started the effort to reach as many people as possible, distributing the party newspaper "Boyun Egme" in the streets. 

In a statement, TKP strongly condemns the policy of Erdogan's AKP government, writing among other things: "The reactionary capitalist class and the AKP government have no other purpose than to find a new role in the imperialist order and continue on the same path as a desirable partner".

Turkey: Women call for March 8 protest in Istanbul - No to exploitation, reactionism and sexual abuse

As soL international reports, women from the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) have issued an invitation to people for a protest on March 8th in Istanbul. 

"We are calling on every woman to strengthen the struggle for socialism for a life in an enlightened Turkey where women will be equal parties right from the beginning, instead of a life in capitalism that is the origin of inequality, reactionary oppressions and threats" reads their statement for March 8 demonstrations.

Turkish authorities arrested Communist Party's members in Çanakkale

Ten days ago, in the western city of Bursa, members of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) who were distributing handouts inviting locals to "people’s alternative is strengthening” meeting, were detained by the authorities. 

This time, according to soL international, the regime of Tayyip Erdogan arrested five TKP members in the northwestern province of Çanakkale. 

The Communist Party of Turkey is the process of organizing various political meetings across the country under the slogan "Turkey is not hopeless, people's alternative is strengthening". 

Kemal Okuyan- Don’t you understand the difference between patriotism and nationalism?

Kemal Okuyan, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) and soL columnist, wrote an article on January 30 regarding the differences between patriotism and nationalism with reference to a famous patriotic Soviet song, 'Song of the Motherland', some lyrics of which were removed after the collapse of the Soviet Union in order to ignore the song's references to the equality of all people under socialism.

Don’t you understand the difference between patriotism and nationalism?

It was 1936. Racism and fascism were rising in Europe. Italy, Germany and Austria surrendered. The fascists declared a "holy war" against the republicans in Spain. Nationalism was polluting everywhere. Discrimination against the black people reached the highest level.

KKE expresses solidarity with the Communist Party of Turkey, denounces the conviction of Kemal Okuyan

The International Relations Section of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece has issued a solidarity message to the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) regarding the provocative conviction of TKP's General Secretary Kemal Okuyan.

The KKE condemns and denounces the unacceptable conviction of the General Secretary of the CP Turkey, Kemal Okuyan, by the Turkish courts to 11 months and 20 days in prison with the pretext that in an article of his "he insulted the President of Turkey, Erdogan."

Boyun Eğme! The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) celebrated its 97th anniversary

The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) released a written statement on the 97th anniversary of its founding, said: "We are not asking for the impossible but the very possible. We lead the only possible way to remain human."

"TKP founded on 10 September 1920 in Baku. The resistance struggling the occupation in Anatolia met the young Soviet revolution at that city. That very day, the communists of Turkey gathered together in a single party and declared being the comrades from Turkey of the international struggle for a socialist World," the statement said. 

Commentary by TKP's Kemal Okuyan regarding Turkey's stance on the Korean peninsula crisis

The General Secretary of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), Kemal Okuyan reflected on the denouncement statement of Turkey's government regarding the hydrogen bomb test of the DPRK. 

The full text of Okuyan's commentary published on soL news portal is as follows:

I denounce the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the strongest manner...

Previously, they loved to call the German Democratic Republic as “East Germany”, now they like to call the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as “North Korea”. It may be long and complex but still let us not use cold war terminology.