Turkish regime sacks teachers on spurious ‘pro-coup’ allegations

This video says about itself:

RAW: Police fire water cannon, crackdown on ‘secular’ teachers’ protest in Turkey

20 December 2014

Police used water cannon and tear-gas on protesters during a teacher’s union demonstration in Ankara, Saturday, detaining more than 100 people. The demonstration, organised by the teachers’ union Egitim-Is (Education and Science Workers’ Union) kicked-off in central Tandoğan Square, marching under the banner of “Secular Education and respect for labour.”

Read more here.

From the BBC today:

Turkey coup: 15,200 education staff suspended

22 minutes ago

More than 15,000 education staff in Turkey have been suspended after last week’s failed coup, as a purge of state officials widens still further.

The Ministry of Education accused them of links to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric the Turkish government says was behind Friday’s uprising.

Mr Gulen denies any involvement with the coup attempt.

Probably correctly so. Theologian Gulen does not have many supporters in the Turkish armed forces. The coupmongers did not say they based themselves on Gulen’s interpretation of Islam. They said they based themselves on the autocratic secularist ideology of previous military dictatorships in Turkey.

So, accusing 15,200 teachers of involvement in the coup attempt would be false, even if they all would really be Gulen supporters.

The officers in the coup attempt acted rather ham-fistedly. But it is ridiculous to think that even these ham-fisted officers would involve 15,200 teachers in the coup, with the cover of the coup being blown extremely soon as a consequence.

It is also very improbable that these 15,200 teachers are really all Gulen supporters. Probably, this is a mass sacking of everyone about whom the Erdogan regime thinks, correctly or incorrectly, that they are critical of the government.

Turkey’s High Education board has also ordered the resignation of over 1,500 university deans, state media reported.

It comes after Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim vowed to take action against Mr Gulen’s supporters.

“I’m sorry but this parallel terrorist organisation will no longer be an effective pawn for any country,” Mr Yildirim said, according to Reuters. …

Thousands of soldiers, police and officials have been detained or sacked since Friday’s coup attempt.

More than two dozen generals, including former air force chief Gen Akin Ozturk, have been remanded in custody pending the setting of trial dates. Gen Ozturk denies any involvement.

Meanwhile, the UN urged Turkey to uphold the rule of law and defend human rights in its response to the attempted coup.

In a statement, High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said the mass suspension or removal of judges was “cause for serious alarm”. He expressed “deep regret” at suggestions the death penalty could be reinstated.