We publish here a call for solidarity with the #AcademicsForPeace initiative in Turkey. Violent attacks on university employees around Turkey have made your support more necessary than ever.
“We ask the state to put an end to violence inflicted against citizens right now, we as academics and researchers of this country declare that we won’t be a party to this crime and that promise that we will sustain our stance in the presence of political parties, parliament and international public”.
Over 1,400 academics and researchers from Turkey and abroad have signed the statement titled “We will not be a party to this crime”, urging for immediate peace negotiations regarding the Kurdish conflict. 1,128 academics from 89 universities in Turkey, and over 355 academics and researchers from abroad including figures such as Noam Chomsky, Judith Butler, Etienne Balibar and David Harvey have signed a text calling on the state of Turkey to end state violence and prepare negotiation conditions.
As a result, the state pressures on “Academics for Peace”, who have initiated the peace petition, have greatly increased. Many have been dismissed from their posts, and even detained or jailed through statutory decrees. As of March 2017, at least 383 out of the initial 2,212 signatories have been purged from their jobs, banned from traveling abroad, and denied recourse to legal dispute. During this difficult time, these scholars have to support their livelihood and families.
To continue showing your solidarity with the affected academics, Research Institute on Turkey and Bostonbul, both 503(1)c non-profits, GIT-NA and concerned academics in North America are launching a campaign to raise an initial fund of $105,000 and to support about 35 academics for 6 months with a salary over the government-determined minimum wage. The funds will be fully allocated to financially support the Academics for Peace through close collaboration with Education and Science Workers’ Union, Egitim-Sen, and other associations which are actively assisting the purged Academics for Peace at the local and international level.
Here is how you can help:
- Donate at this link. There is no small amount!
- Forward this email to your network and encourage them to get involved.
- Tweet about it: https://twitter.com/RIoTurkey/status/841720000293527552
- Share it on Facebook: https://goo.gl/JjEZU9
- Share our campaign video on your social media accounts.
- Email us your short video message to be included in a solidarity video.
I very much hope you will join me in this solidarity campaign. With your participation, we will illustrate once again that the #AcademicsForPeace are not alone. Thank you for your time and assistance. Please email your questions to solidarity.afp.turkey@gmail.com or feel free to contact me directly.
All the best,
Melissa Bilal
Visiting Scholar of History, MIT