Speech of an Aybars Bilgicier, Chairman of the Vanguard Youth at the WAYU congress in Istanbul.
Speech of an Aybars Bilgicier, Chairman of the Vanguard Youth at the WAYU congress in Istanbul.
By Can Aybars Bilgicier, Chairman of the Vanguard Youth (The youth wing of the Vatan Party from Türkiye)
May 19th, 1919, is the date Mustafa Kemal Atatürk arrived in the northern Turkish city of Samsun to start the armed struggle against the imperialist occupation of Türkiye and its collaborators. The date is considered as the beginning of the war of liberation. It is today celebrated as an official holiday as the “Day of Commemorating Atatürk, the youth and sports”.
The Youth Union of Türkiye (TGB) and the World Anti-imperialist Youth Union (WAYU) have organized on May 19, 2026, an international event with participation from dozens of countries of anti-imperialist struggle. During the convention, several speeches were held.
One of the speakers was from Can Aybars Bilgicier, Chairman of the Vanguard Youth, the youth wing of the Vatan Party from Türkiye. Below, we present the speech to our readers.
My brothers and sisters from every corner of the world — those who are locked in battle against the enemies of humanity, who are uprooting imperialists and Zionists across seven climates, who will lead the world’s great decision — welcome, all of you!
Today we are not gathered here for an ordinary meeting. Nor are we here for just any youth celebration. We have come together as the youth who will determine the direction of history at a moment when history itself is changing course. Because, comrades, a new world is being built. And we — the youth of the human front — are not merely its witnesses, but its founders.
Let us state it plainly today: the unipolar world order imposed by America under the name of “globalization” has collapsed. The Atlantic system is disintegrating. In its place, a new world is being born — one in which nation-states, labor, and the common values of humanity are rising. That world will be built by our hands.
Imperialism sought to divide us along religions, sects, and identities. But humanity did not allow it. The nations once called “oppressed” have today become the vanguard of humanity. It is yesterday’s poor who now represent prosperity and modernization. Today there is the reality of a rising Eurasia — with its China, its Russia, its Iran, its Türkiye. The states resisting in West Asia are fighting on the frontlines against imperialism. And we, the Turkish nation, are on the frontline today — just as we were at Sakarya, just as we were at Dumlupınar. We are fighting not only for ourselves, but on behalf of all oppressed nations.
This struggle is not an invention, and we are not its inventors. We see the current of history, and we take on our responsibilities. With the Iranian Revolution, the Russian Revolution, and the Turkish Revolution, the world entered the Asian age. The struggle waged against imperialism at Gallipoli was not merely a national resistance — it was a rupture that paved the way for world revolutions. Today, too, the fate of resisting nations is shared. Those who lose will lose together; those who win will win together.
Today, US imperialism is losing in Iran, at the Strait of Hormuz. The sacred resistance of the Iranian state and people has buried the United States at the Strait of Hormuz! Likewise, it has become unable to sustain the pressure it has built against China through Taiwan. The US and Israel, unable to overcome Palestine’s resistance, cannot break Russia’s wrist in the Black Sea. The writing is on the wall: when resisting nations stand hand in hand, the invincibility of imperialism is nothing but a myth.
Today, the Eastern Mediterranean has become the honor of resisting nations. The axis of evil — the US, Israel, and Greece — is attempting to march against the resistance front through the Eastern Mediterranean. The conversion of Greece into an arms depot, the military buildups in Southern Cyprus, and the Noble Dina and Nemesis exercises are clear indicators of this plan. But we know: this geography is not imperialism’s playground — it is the shared homeland of resisting nations.
The youth gathered here today are the bearers of this historical responsibility. Vatan Partisi and its leader Doğu Perinçek have been expressing this truth for years: the new world is rising from Eurasia. Türkiye’s place is on the frontline of this new world. This is a civilizational choice. As Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the leader of the Turkish Revolution, pointed out: “Look at the sun — it will rise from the East.” Today, that sun is rising.
Dear comrades,
The foundational concept of this new world is sharing. The imperialist system has sanctified individualism, competition, and exploitation. But the new world will be grounded in public ownership, solidarity, and production. The future of humanity lies in a system where those who produce share equitably. That is why our struggle is not only political — it is also for our virtues.
On one side stands the imperialist type of human: individualistic, self-seeking, worshipping the powerful, blaming the oppressed… On the other side stands the rising new human: one of solidarity, independence, populism, and sharing… Today, a struggle is taking place between these two types of human. And we have made our choice. We stand with humanity. We stand with independence. We stand with sharing.
Dear friends,
Today the world’s youth have taken the stage once again. From the United States to Europe, from Asia to Africa, youth are rising up against imperialism. Young people taking to the streets for Palestine, anti-NATO actions, the rising demand for independence… All of these are signs of a new historical wave.
The scene we see here, in this hall, is this: a youth ready to take on the mission of being humanity’s hope. The will to build the future, brotherhood, and independence is assembled here. Our burden is heavy! But this burden is a historical honor. For we carry on our shoulders not only the future of our own countries, but the future of humanity.
The brotherhood we have forged here today is not merely solidarity — it is a shared destiny. This shared destiny is the common line of struggle against imperialism. And we know: in the end, we will win this struggle.
The future of our Türkiye and of humanity lies in our hands — the hands of the youth. We believe in ourselves. We call out from here to all our brothers and sisters beyond the oceans, behind the mountains, within the deserts: Victory shall be ours. Because victory suits us.