The Turkish Red Crescent revealed that tents had been sold after the earthquake as chants of “the government’s resignation” rose from the stadiums

Three weeks after two devastating earthquakes caused massive destruction and mass deaths in Turkey and Syria, public anger and opposition to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s response is growing. Over the weekend, it turned out that the Turkish Red Crescent had sold the tents that should have been provided immediately and free of charge to the earthquake victims after the earthquake. Thousands chanted “the government resigns” at major football matches in Istanbul.

More than 100 members and supporters of the Turkish Workers’ Party (TİP) who wanted to protest against the sale of tents by the Red Crescent in Istanbul last night were attacked by the police and arrested. Others who tried to organize a protest titled “They were not killed by the earthquake, but by your rentier system”, called by the Forces for Action, Peace and Democracy, were arrested in Kadikoy.

After a break in football league matches due to the earthquake, fans at Saturday’s match between Fenerbahçe and Konyaspor chanted “20 years with lies. [Government] Resign! In the Besiktas-Antalyaspor match that took place last night, chants of “government resignation” rose from the stands.

Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party, a fascist ally of Erdogan’s government, called for matches to be held without spectators in response to these protests, which reflects the anger among the population.

The earthquake directly affected more than 25 million people in Turkey and Syria, killing more than 51,000 people – at least 44,374 people in Turkey and 6,760 in Syria. One conservative, who has not been officially denied, puts the true death toll at 150,000. Millions of people in both countries have been left homeless and thousands remain without basic needs such as shelter and sanitation.

A view from a helicopter near Adana, Turkey, Sunday, February 19, 2023 [AP Photo/Clodagh Kilcoyne/Pool Photo via AP]

Cumhuriyet newspaper columnist Murat Ağırel revealed, on Saturday, that the Turkish Red Crescent had sold tents worth 46 million Turkish liras to the “Ahbab” charity organization on the third day of the earthquake. The Red Crescent’s message on its website reads as follows: “As an international charitable organization, it provides services and activities in war and peace, in accordance with its purpose and in accordance with the understanding of volunteerism, without receiving any compensation from beneficiaries and without expecting anything in return.”

The Turkish Red Crescent, although not affiliated with the state on paper, is under strict government control. This has been particularly evident in its assistance to Ankara-backed Islamist jihadist forces in NATO’s war for regime change in Syria since 2011.

Agriel wrote in his article: “It was revealed that the Red Crescent, which was not present in the region after the earthquake that claimed the lives of tens of thousands of citizens, was busy selling its tent stock while thousands were dying under the rubble. “

He said the Red Crescent has facilities to produce tents and containers. She sold 46 million TL worth of tents to AHBAP on the third day of the earthquake. It was also alleged to have diverted its stocks and aid to be sent to sectarian gatherings, institutions and associations.

Aguirrell reported that he asked the Red Crescent about the allegations and received the following response:

In the aftermath of major disasters, the State of the Republic of Turkey has developed a Disaster Response Plan (TAMP) with the contributions of eminent scholars in the field. According to this mandatory plan, the Red Crescent is the main organization responsible for nutrition services and blood supply. It is also a support organization in other areas such as shelter, humanitarian aid and healthcare.

The Lovers Association also decided to support the need for shelter in [affected] Through the resources provided by the donors, at this stage I sent the tent capacity provided by the Red Crescent to the points indicated by the Disaster and Emergency Department [official response organization]. The Red Crescent evaluated this operation in terms of meeting the shelter needs of the disaster victims as quickly as possible. In order to ensure the continuous production of tents, the cost of raw materials is accepted [from Ahbap Association].

Last week, Erdogan reacted harshly to widespread criticism of the Red Crescent’s insufficient or non-existent aid to the quake zone. In defense of the Red Crescent, dawn at dawn, “They ask that where is the Red Crescent. You immoral, you vile, you despicable! Is such a lack of conscience possible? The Red Crescent provides food to 2.5 million people a day. In a country, it is unacceptable Defaming one’s organization and organization in such an immoral manner.”

In fact, state institutions or government-controlled organizations such as the Red Crescent did not provide enough tents for earthquake victims. This forced many to enter their homes, which reportedly sustained minor or moderate damage, in cold weather. As a result, at least six people were killed and nearly 300 injured in the aftershocks of the February 20 Hatay earthquake.

Journalist Agerel also reported that the Red Crescent sold tents not only to the Association of Loved Ones but also to the Turkish Pharmacists Syndicate: “There is the Turkish Pharmacists Syndicate (TEB). On the first day of the earthquake, they were looking for tents and containers to distribute free medicines. They called the Red Crescent. They sell one tent for 160,000 lira (8,500 USD). But there are no tents for the citizens. If they can pay for them, maybe they will be available for the citizens.”

The Al-Ahbab Association confirmed that it had received the tents from the Red Crescent, saying: “We met with the Red Crescent Tents Authority. We learned that they have 2,050 tents, and we signed the contract immediately and sent 2,050 tents to the affected area the next morning.”

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Musician Haluk Levent, the association’s founder and president, wrote on Twitter, “We didn’t have the luxury of ‘should we buy these tents or not’ when everyone was freezing for their lives that evening. Every action we took was legal and correct.”

Kerem Kinik, head of the Red Crescent, defended his decision to set up tents and sell them on the third day of the earthquake instead of sending them to the affected area. “The Red Crescent Tents Foundation has allocated funds received from the Al Ahbab Association to supply raw materials for tents and planned to produce tents for the use of earthquake victims for free through Kizilay,” he said.

He added that “Ahbab and Kizilay’s cooperation is ethical, rational and legal. Anyone who claims otherwise either does not understand the problem or has bad intentions.”

The tent scandal also revealed the fact that the Red Crescent sells blood donations that it receives for free from volunteers. “Do you sell our blood too?” On social media, one doctor responded as follows: “I have been managing blood banks in different hospitals for years. Yes, the Red Crescent sells the blood of volunteers.”

What was revealed in the tent scandal is the rottenness of the capitalist system, from the government to the aid organizations it controls. The fact that the basic needs of earthquake victims, such as shelter, were not being met, and that the state-supported organization responsible for providing them even sold the needed tents, reveals the ruling class’s indifference to public health and safety.

Not only did the Erdoğan government fail to take any precautions against expected earthquakes despite long standing scientific warnings, but it also failed in the post-earthquake shelter and search and rescue efforts. The country failed to mobilize its vast resources in time, and official search and rescue operations did not begin until the third day of the earthquake. This led to thousands of people dying under the rubble who could have been saved.

The necessary lessons must be drawn from this preventable social disaster. Today, the social resources exist to build earthquake-resistant buildings and cities and to meet the basic needs of populations all over the world. For these resources to be truly used to protect public health and safety, these resources and political power must be transferred from finance capital to the working class.

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