Türkiye: NATO summit protested in Ankara: Numerous protester detained..

Ankara, Türkiye - July 07, 2026 The NATO summit, which began today in Ankara, was protested by opposition parties and NGOs. A group, including MPs from the Dem Party, the Workers' Party of Turkey, the Labor Party, the Social Freedom Party, and the Socialist Solidarity Platform, gathered near Kurtuluş Park in Kızılay and was surrounded by police. Police detained all protesters except the MPs. At the same time, police intervened against other groups protesting in the same area. Many people were beaten and detained. Police attempted to silence the protesters, who were chanting anti-NATO and anti-government slogans, by covering their mouths. Following the detention of protesters, members of parliament issued a press statement prepared on behalf of the "No to NATO Coordination." The statement was read by Sevda Karaca, a member of parliament from the Labor Party (EMEP). ----------- 02:27:24 - 03:33:04 Sevda Karaca: "The NATO Summit, the bloody instrument of imperialism, has begun. The summit, which has dominated the headlines for months, has seen Türkiye transformed into an open-air prison under the pretext of security, with billions of liras spent to appease its imperialist masters; it arrives with its bloody agenda. Marketed as "NATO 3.0," the summit, under the guise of "establishing a new security architecture," is preparing to create new war fronts. The main actor of imperialism, the USA, is both bringing its allies into line and aiming to launch a bloody war of partition. We know NATO, both its new and old versions, very well. NATO is the instrument of bloody military interventions in Vietnam, Korea, Cuba, and Latin America. NATO is the disintegration of Yugoslavia, the destruction of Gaza, the bombing of Tehran, and the ruthless devastation of Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. For the working class, NATO means destruction, war, and death." 03:37:16 - 04:09:27 Sevda Karaca:"To the AKP, which spends billions of liras to be the 'foot soldier' ​​of imperialism and has turned the country into an open-air prison for revolutionaries, progressives, and workers, and to imperialism and its collaborators, we have a clear answer: You are not wanted! The progressive, revolutionary, patriotic, socialist, and working-class legacy of this land will show you that things are going to get tough. Despite the hundreds of people you have unjustly detained, the progressive legacy of this land will give you the response you deserve." 04:13:12 - 05:01:18 Sevda Karaca: "We communicate the following demands to our working people: 1- All NATO bases must be closed. 2- We must withdraw from NATO immediately. 3- NATO, the world's largest organization of war and aggression, must be disbanded. 4- The arms race, which is the preparation for bloody wars of partition, must be stopped. 5- The enormous budgets diverted from the most basic needs of the working people, from education and health to housing and social rights, to armament must be ended. 6- Opposing NATO and imperialism is not a crime. Hundreds of our socialist, revolutionary, progressive, and democratic comrades arrested in Istanbul and Ankara must be released immediately." 02:16:08 - 02:27:24 The besieged parliamentarians are chanting slogans such as, "Imperialists, collaborators, don't forget the 6th Fleet."