Anti-war Activists Must Condemn Bombing Atrocities in Turkey

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report Thursday November 20, 2003 15:52 by Dominic Carroll - Clonakilty Against the War clonakiltyagainstthewar at eircom dot net

Atrocities in Turkey demand an honest response from the left and the anti-war movement

There is a word in the lexicon of the left that is virtually taboo: that word is “condemn” (“express utter disapproval of”: Oxford Dictionary). When the bombs were going off in the North (no matter how indiscriminate and devastating), guarded political opposition to the methods of republicanism was deemed the correct stance, but to “condemn” an atrocity was considered such a concession to the forces of reaction (and so confusing for the constituency of the left) that the word could never be uttered. Even to use the word “atrocity” or “terror” would be considered a cardinal error. I and many other anti-war activists reject this.

“We are fully aware of the root causes to ‘terror’”. “We understand the background”. “We know who the real terrorists are” – the stock response of the left when confronted with atrocities such as those perpetuated in Turkey today and on Saturday, or with café bombs in Israel, etc. Though these statements in and of themselves are viable, they seem to leave something unsaid, and are therefore infective. Any anti-war activist is likely to be asked for a reaction to the bombings in Turkey. We might say that bombs went off in Iraq and Afghanistan every day and night for weeks, killing thousands (and never receiving anything like the detailed media coverage devoted to the bombs in Turkey or whenever Western interests are targeted); the US/UK were the culprits and now UK interests have been hit in Turkey as retaliation. We might add that “we are fully aware of the root causes to ‘terror’”, that we “understand the background” and that “we know who the real terrorists are”. But if we leave it at that, we deceive ourselves and those interested in what we have to say. I despair when I see carnage, regardless of the perpetrator. But the corruption and limitations of language (what is “terror”, what does it mean to “condemn”, etc.) cannot become the reason for my refusal to say what I think and feel (and neither will it affect my willingess to actively opppose the US “War on Terror”).

I condemn atrocities – all of them. I would urge other anti-war activists to do likewise.