Turkish authorities detained over 100 people on Sunday who participated in an anti-NATO protest march organized by the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), the party said in a statement. The demonstrations took place ahead of the alliance's 36th summit, which will be held in Ankara on July 7-8.

The summit will be attended by leaders of 32 allied states, as well as officials from NATO partner countries. Before the meeting, authorities tightened security measures across the capital, banned demonstrations, blocked large parts of the city, and closed roads.

The TKP stated that the protest march was held at Ankara's central Kizilay Square and that over 100 party members, including representatives of the leadership, were detained. Videos circulated on social media showed protesters carrying flags and chanting slogans such as 'Murderer NATO, get out of the country!' and 'No to NATO!', while security forces used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The TKP declared the week of July 4-12 as an 'anti-NATO summit'. In Istanbul, hundreds of people marched from Taksim Square to Dolmabahce, and two separate protests were held by leftist groups in the Kadikoy district. Despite a large deployment of police forces, no clashes were reported during the Istanbul protests.

TKP General Secretary Kemal Okuyan said in a statement in Istanbul: 'Today we gathered in many parts of Turkey to protest against NATO. We said we would not surrender Ankara to NATO supporters, and we would not allow Ankara to remain silent. We kept our promise.'

Last month, authorities detained 225 people in counter-terrorism raids in Ankara, of whom 103 were formally arrested. According to media reports, another 39 people, including journalists from independent publications, activists, and academics, were detained in counter-terrorism operations across the country.

Tunjer Bakirhan, co-chair of Turkey's DEM party, and Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the court-appointed head of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), criticized the arrests as unacceptable measures aimed at restricting fundamental rights ahead of the NATO summit. Bakirhan wrote on X: 'Using the NATO summit as an excuse, the country has been turned into a prison. We are experiencing a period of undeclared martial law.'

The Turkish prosecutor's office previously stated that these operations were not related to the summit but were part of efforts to expose the activities of militant groups.

Turkey has been a NATO member since 1952. The TKP and other leftist groups view NATO not just as a military alliance but as a 'bloodthirsty weapon of international capital' and a tool for US imperialism to establish global dominance. Additionally, Turkey is dissatisfied with the support some allies, particularly the US, provide to terrorist organizations linked to the PKK, such as the YPG in northern Syria.

Some critics also argue that NATO membership hinders the country's ability to pursue an independent foreign policy. A newspaper correspondent added that some Ankara residents are also complaining that road repairs and other beautification works are being carried out specifically for the summit.

Source: www.gazeta.uz