13/12/2025
Erdal Eren lives on in our struggle!
Erdal Eren was executed by the fascist junta of the 1980 Turkish military coup at the age of only 17. On the anniversary of his death, we remember not just his death, but his life, his courage, and the ideals for which he stood: a future free from oppression, exploitation, and militarism.
Erdal was one of us. He was facing a brutal political system that sought to crush the dreams of an entire generation. His struggle was against fascism, imperialism, and the theft of a fair future for himself and his peers. On this anniversary, we do not simply mourn, but we also connect his fight to our own – because not much has changed for the lives of young people.
Today, in Britain, a new generation faces its own defining struggles. The enemy may wear a suit and tie instead of a uniform, but its goal is the same - to divide us, to impoverish us, and to silence our demand for a just world.
We see the rise of the far-right, with figures like Nigel Farage and Tommy Robinson peddling hatred and xenophobia, seeking to scapegoat migrants and minorities for social issues created by the powerful. And we see the Labour government fuelling the flames and feeding hatred through its new anti-migrant and anti-worker policies.
Their rhetoric is the direct descendant of the fascism that took Erdal’s life. We stand, as he did, against all forms of bigotry and division.
We are forced into a fight against imperialist wars, where our government pours billions into destruction abroad while communities collapse at home. Like Erdal, we say no to wars for profit, from Palestine to Ukraine to Yemen. Our solidarity is internationalist, and our calls are for peace.
We face a life of housing insecurity, trapped between extortionate rents and impossible mortgages. A generation is being denied the basic right to a stable home and access to affordable housing.
We are burdened by an education system that saddles us with debt and trains us for an insecure job market, while silencing critical thought and dissent.
We are crushed by a cost-of-living crisis, where wages stagnate while the energy giants and supermarket monopolies gorge themselves on profits. This is economic violence against the young and the poor.
Erdal Eren’s spirit lives in our resistance. It lives in every student opposing their university’s complicity in genocide. It lives in every young person organising their workplace or marching against the far-right. It lives in our refusal to accept a future of endless war, poverty, and climate breakdown.
They executed Erdal Eren to terrorise a generation into submission. They failed. His memory becomes a motivation for our struggle.
We have not forgotten, and we will not be silenced. The struggle that Erdal Eren was a part of continues here, now, in our streets, our campuses, and our communities. We will fight for the future he was denied.
The struggle continues!
Day-Mer Youth
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