Monday 17 January 2011

A Comrade from Turkey Speaks Out

Statement by Barkın Karslı * barkinkarsli@yahoo.com

About the recent discussions on Cyprus Indymedia Collective
Saturday, January 15, 2011

Dear IMC fellows;

My name is Barkın Karslı, I'm a member of the indy - Istanbul Collective since its foundation. I just read about the recent discussions between Cyprus Indymedia and some other groups from Greece and Cyprus. I do not have Greek, so I could only read the English posts in the related websites / lists.

I'm sorry to see that the discussions were taken down to the level of making accusations such as ¨fascist sympathizers¨ and / or ¨nationalists¨ against Cyprus Indymedia group. I know Petros, Maro, Sue, Solon since we founded a solidarity e-group ( kalimerhaba hellenoturkish community ) and many other Cyrpiot Indymedia volunteers, including Greek and Turkish Cypriots since 2001, yes it has been 10 years now…

You can view the archives of our group from
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kalimerhaba_HellenoTurkish_Community/
and decide yourself if Petros or any other friends who are contributors to the group have had any 'fascist' (!) or 'fascist sympathizer'(!) steps so far. I can sincerely say that I have not seen any, if I did, then there would be no need for me or my friends from Turkey to keep on this fruitful relationship that led to many new initiatives in time, including Cyprus Indymedia, Istanbul Indymedia and other bi-communal events among peoples of Cyprus, Turkey and Greece.

I hope not a witch-hunt is ongoing against the current Cyprus Indymedia initiative, for it is easiest to put the blame on some voluntary people, when you do not want to look into the mirror, to see your own or other reflections.

Thanks, (bk)
Barkın Karslı
barkinkarsli@yahoo.com

* Barkın Karslı is a founding member of IMC-Istanbul /Turkey
http://istanbul.indymedia.org , and a founding member of the
KaliMerhaba Turko - Hellenic Bicommunal Dialogue group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kalimerhaba_HellenoTurkish_Community/

His political roots and past are in the Feminist Ecology branches of ODP (Freedom and Solidarity Party) and the International Orgonomy-minded anti-authoritarian, anti-imperialist and anti-militarist branches of the global Liberation Movement.

The above Statement of Support is from the Archives of IMC-Europe:
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-europe/2011-January/0116-fc.html
and IMC-Communication:
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-communication/2011-January/0116-sz.html

* * *

Related:

Another Collective Response by Cyprus IndyMedia to New Accusations

http://cyprusindymedia.blogspot.com/2011/01/another-collective-response-by-cyprus.html

Cyprus IndyMedia Collective Responds to Accusations from Athens and Patra IndyMedia
http://cyprusindymedia.blogspot.com/2011/01/cyprus-indymedia-collective-responds-to.html

Regarding the attack against Cyprus Indymedia by the para-state apparatus
by Regarding the attack against Cyprus Indymedia by the para-state apparatus
by Efylakas Editorial Team
http://cyprusindymedia.blogspot.com/2011/01/regarding-attack-against-cyprus.html

6 comments:

  1. Dear Barkin read here

    Ιανουαρίου 18, 2011 στις 8:19 μμ
    Παρέμβαση του περιοδικού “Ανατροπή”
    18/01/2011
    Nicosia
    To: The Athens, Patras and Istanbul IMCs
    The state of affairs with Cyprus Indymedia
    Dear Friends,
    This note is written in hope that it will serve as an indictment of those presently administrating Cyprus Indymedia. Put straightforwardly, they are open supporters of Greek ultra-nationalism. They are at ease in the company of far-right and even fascist groupings, whose reactionary “anti-capitalism” and “right to free speech” they fervently defend. They even defend the “right” of Nazis, of anti-Muslims and Holocaust deniers (of ELAM, the sister organisation of Chrysi Avgi in Cyprus) to hold terror marches in the streets of Nicosia and in other cities.
    Not only the economy goes wild in times of crisis. One often finds that those who in conditions of relative “normality” exhibit a pronounced contradictory consciousness – in this instance, a blend of libertarianism and steadfast nationalism – in times of crisis they invariably go berserk.
    A first manifestation of this lopsided condition of the administrators of Cyprus Indymedia came soon after the attack against Turkish Cypriot students at English School by ultra-nationalist EFEN members back in 2006. To this racist assault, Cyprus Indymedia responded by giving platform to EFEN to put its “case” across. Since then, they have progressively elaborated further their own extreme nationalist discourse and simultaneously have become sturdy apologists to ALL ultra-nationalist and Nazi ventures. Only in this sense can they be seen to be critical of mainstream nationalist parties – from their Right. (Examples abound in the Greek section of their site.)
    Amidst phoney protestations and nauseating personal exposés, Petros Evdokas and Solon Antartis – the administrators of Cyprus Indymedia – have irrevocably crossed over to the side of reaction. This sorry spectacle cannot be simply ignored. For Indymedia today is not merely seen as providing sanctuary to a couple of semi-psychotic individuals. Far more importantly, it is providing in practice a strong “democratic” alibi to organisations of the extreme right. Please note further that these organizations have been on the ascendance over the last 2 or 3 years. It is for this reason that the issue has now become most urgent and it is for this reason that confidence in the administrators of Cyprus Indymedia must be now resolutely withdrawn.
    Best regards,
    Daphnos Economou
    Member of “Anatropi” magazine editorial team.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ex cyprus indymedia t/c supporter27 January 2011 at 11:12

    Dear Barkin,also have a look at the collective´s response to call for general strike tomorrow under here

    http://cyprusindymedia.blogspot.com/2011/01/general-strike-and-gathering-on-friday.html

    "cultural autonomy" ????? What are these people up to.
    Also must know that one of the contributors listed to the right of page is Xenis Xenofontos, one of the administrators of a blog that was very popular in the south until recent (now is down) called Christofias Watch. I am not in favour of Christofias but this blog did good jop spreading anti-turkish, anti-bi zonal, anti-unionist, ethnicist word around. Check it with other greek cypriots.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The liar above posing as a T/C is probably one of the stalinist party members that applauded the illegal police raid against Xenis Xenofontos on the basis of false accusations like the above and on the basis of illegal surveillance.

    What the above liar does not know is that the socialist lawyer Xenis Xenofontos has already represented Turkish Cypriots pro bono within the courts of Cyprus and against the government of Cyprus. His actions speak volumes about his dedication to Socialism and Justice.

    It is obvious that the attacks against Xenis Xenofontos and Indymedia originate from people who are just spreading the Apartheid propaganda embraced by the AKEL leadership.

    Another lawyer
    --------------

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ex cyprus indymedia t/c supporter28 January 2011 at 10:35

    Double mistake. Not a lawyer, not Akel or Stalin.... Outside parties, that is what I am. But it is worth looking at Christofias Watch anyway. Supposetely it wasn`t just Xenofontos that was posting, right? I did not say anything about Xenofontos in particular. The whole blog was promoting a certain agenta. Is the blog, or Xenofontos himself, pro turkish, pro bi-zonal and pro-unionist on the basis of political autonomy? I did not support the methods applied by the police in the south in the case of Xenofontos either. But it is worth looking carefully at the comments against the life of a person. This is no `legal`stuff, this is politics. Threatening is not something to get an applause for. In court you may get away with it. In politics you get banned from the political scene for it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You need to practice better, Comrade

    You like to pretend you are a Turkish Cypriot but your pretension is so fake, so see-through, it is laughable.

    In fact, what you wrote above contains all the evidence one needs to see that you are lying.


    Is is so sad that you are trying your best tricks to mislead and influence our Turkish Cypriot comrades against us, while what we really need to save this country is UNITY.

    Why are you so focused and invested in divisiveness and hatred? Why are you trying to create divisions where none exist, trying to sow mistrust and fear in a climate that's already very poisoned and difficult?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Petros said:"Why are you so focused and invested in divisiveness and hatred?"

    Divisiness and hatred agaist anybody who supports a bicommunal solution, is the main theme running through ALL your posts regarding cyprus problem.

    Siding up with nationalist and anti-turk racists of all shades through the indymedia blog is what we have been been witnessing over the last couple of years and the posts are a proof for all to see.

    non greek cypriot

    ReplyDelete