On the recent protest wave in Türkiye.
On the recent protest wave in Türkiye.
The Chairman of the Vatan Party, Dr. Doğu Perinçek, shared his assessments and answered questions on a broadcast on “Ulusal Kanal” of Türkiye. Commenting on the protests that erupted following the operation targeting the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Perinçek argued that the movement’s purpose was described by Republican’s People Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel as “integration with the West” and he addressed the protestors with a stark warning: “Don’t become pawns in someone else’s game.”
Perinçek’s statements were as follows:
“There is a broader movement that encompasses various protests. This movement, in essence, derives its meaning from the ongoing confrontation between Türkiye and the global masters of the West. Ordinary citizens may join for a range of understandable and legitimate reasons—some due to economic grievances, others in response to what they perceive as unjust treatment of Imamoğlu, some out of loyalty to the CHP, and others simply because they believe ‘where there is movement, there is opportunity.’ Bernstein once said, ‘The movement is everything; the goal is nothing.’ Some people approach these protests with exactly that mindset: ‘I don’t care about the objective or the cause. I’ll just show up, chant my slogans—even throw a Molotov cocktail.’ There are people who participate in these protests with this kind of mentality.”
“Hostility turns people into pawns”
“But in the end, there appears to be a common thread uniting all these protestors: hostility toward President Tayyip Erdoğan. If we ask them individually, and we’ll find that their actions are often driven by a deep fixation on opposing Erdoğan. This hostility clouds their judgment—and in doing so, it leads our citizens to play the role of extras, pawns in broader Atlantic strategies.
At the same time, many of these individuals find themselves aligned with separatist agendas or movements that receive open support from the United States and Israel. Yet, they seem largely indifferent to these associations. What we are witnessing is a mass of people, unconscious of the forces guiding them—crowds being manipulated without full awareness. Perhaps much of society fails to grasp this today, but in the historical process, it will become undeniably clear.”
“The vanguard leads, does not follow”
“A true pioneer does not trail behind the people—he leads them. That is the essence of genuine populism. So what is this movement really about? For the answer, we can look directly to Özgür Özel, its figurehead. Özel’s consistent alignment with separatist positions reveals much. The true character of the movement is laid bare in this context, and it is essential that we identify it with clarity.
What do we mean by ‘vanguard’? According to Gramsci, the vanguard consists of the organized, politicized segments of a class. There is a profound difference between the insights of pioneers and the reactive sentiments of the masses. One might interpret events based on what they observe in the chaos, or how the moment emotionally strikes them. But pioneers engage with analysis.
Consider Germany during Hitler’s rise to power. There were vanguard parties then—parties representing the working class. Yet the German people did not follow them. Instead, they followed Hitler, who ultimately led the country into catastrophe, sacrificing ten million Germans in war.”
“Atatürk did not seek public approval to lead”
“The vanguard is never the tail of the masses—it leads them. This is what populism is all about. In our own history, the most striking example of a pioneering revolutionary is Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He did not consult the public before setting out for Anatolia. He did not hold a referendum to decide whether to form an alliance with Germany during the War of Independence. He did not ask the people’s permission to go to war in 1914.
History is often shaped by mass movements—revolutions, wars of independence, the French and English revolutions. But each of these also had their vanguards. Robespierre during the French Revolution led such a movement—his Jacobin faction provided direction and discipline. They were heavily criticized, as was Atatürk, who was also accused of being a Jacobin. Similarly, Oliver Cromwell, during the English Revolution between 1640 and 1648, acted as a vanguard figure.
These individuals were leaders of vanguard parties who understood the dynamics of their time and sought to guide the masses—educating them and steering their energy toward transformative ends.”
“These movements serve NATO integration”
“I address to my fellow citizens who participated these protests. Do not join these movements led by the CHP. One year, two years, three years from now, you will find yourself asking, ‘What exactly was I a part of? What role did I unknowingly play?’”
Özgür Özel openly states: ‘We support a strong alliance with NATO and deeper integration with the West.’ In essence, these movements are vehicles for advancing NATO alignment and embedding Türkiye more firmly into Western structures.
He criticizes Erdoğan by saying that ‘Türkiye is being cut and drifting away from Western institutions,’ implying a concern over the country’s increasing independence from American and European influence. Thus, these protests are reactionary responses to Türkiye’s revolt against the Western order. This is not a speculation—it is openly articulated by the leaders organizing the movement.”
“Their complaint is Türkiye’s shifting away from the West”
“Özgür Özel speaks repeatedly of ‘integration.’ But what does this mean in practice? It means full alignment with the West. And such integration, in its final outcome, signals the dismantling of the Turkish Republic as a sovereign national state.
In fact, this process has been underway since the 1980s—following the trajectory set by Turgut Özal. Today, Tayyip Erdoğan is criticized precisely because he is steering Türkiye away from the Western imperialist and capitalist system. Those who participate in these movements must come to understand exactly what they are lending their support to.”
“Armed force is being invited”
“The West possesses armed power. Where is it? On the shores of Greece, in the Eastern Mediterranean. And these crowds are acting as pawns in a movement that has effectively invited that armed presence.
Our citizens within these crowds should not feel hurt or offended, but I feel compelled to take them by the shoulders and shake them into awareness. In the end, these are unconscious masses—crowds steered by an external enemy—and Özgür Özel himself identifies who that is.
In 2020, the American Deep State hinted: ‘There must be such movements to bring Imamoğlu to power in Türkiye,’ and ‘the CHP should lead them.’ The Victory (Zafer) Party, the Good (İyi) Party, and other so-called nationalist parties are backing him—and, of course, the main pillars of this alliance are the CHP and the DEM Party. This is all in line with the strategy outlined by the Rand Corporation, representing the American Deep State. The objective is clear: to overthrow Tayyip Erdoğan. And if you ask those crowds, nearly all of them will say, ‘We are participating in these movements to remove Tayyip Erdoğan.’ But once he is overthrown, it is America that will fill the vacuum.”
“Objections within the CHP”
“It is understood that the challenges of Türkiye cannot be met with Tayyip Erdoğan. However, if the AK Party and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) are pushed out of Turkish politics, it will not be possible to establish a National Government of Producers. Such a government cannot be formed with the CHP either.
But slowly, objections have begun to emerge within the CHP— and we need to acknowledge this. There is a segment within the CHP that refuses to submit to this trajectory, and in time, we will witness its presence. An important portion of the CHP will stand among Türkiye’s national forces.”
“The US was the enemy in Gezi Protests”
“They say this could be a second Gezi protest. But these demonstrations are the direct opposite of Gezi. Back then, the United States was the enemy. Today, there is no such opposition to the U.S.—on the contrary, it is being embraced. This is the exact reverse of what Gezi represented. Gezi may have begun with flowers and slogans, but its cause was just.
During Gezi, Vatan Party and the Youth Union of Türkiye (TGB)—Türkiye’s national forces—actively participated, and helped steer the movement toward the line of: ‘We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal!’ I was in Silivri prison at the time, but the crowd mobilized—one and a half million people stretching from Kadıköy to Moda—saw the United States as the enemy.
Now, that sentiment is absent. On the contrary, the US is being portrayed as a friend. These two movements are profoundly different. The masses during Gezi protests were conscious and deliberate in confronting American imperialism. It was a major struggle against the division of Türkiye and the economic domination imposed by the Western system. That’s why Gezi and the current movement are complete opposites. They are fundamentally opposed.”
“Municipalities derailed by a corrupt system”
“Municipal governments in Türkiye have become deeply corrupted—and this includes those run by the AK Party. What we’re witnessing is the rise of entities what might be called ‘Loot Co.’ The moment a municipality adopts the structure of a corporation, it abandons its duty to the public. It enters a profit-driven model, ceasing to function as a public institution.
But what is a municipality really supposed to do? It exists to serve the public: building sewage systems, preventing floods, maintaining water supplies, paving sidewalks, constructing roads, collecting garbage. It educates children, supports culture, promotes theater. In essence, it is meant to serve the common good.
Instead, municipalities have been repurposed to serve private interests. The very idea of public service has been eroded. With the enactment of the Law on Local Governments, municipalities began operating like private companies. Only Vatan Party opposed that law.
As a result, we now have an institutional structure where the Republic’s tradition of public service has been dismantled. This shift was carried out by the AK Party. In effect, municipalities are no longer municipalities in the true sense—they’ve become businesses.”