Turkish unions rally against NATO summit in Ankara

The Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions (DİSK), the Confederation of Public Workers' Unions (KESK), the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) and the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) held a joint press conference in Ankara ahead of the NATO summit scheduled for 7‑8 July 2026. The groups read a statement by TMMOB Board Chair Ali Ekber Çakar denouncing what they described as increased repression, house raids, mass arrests and bans on demonstrations justified by the summit.

The unions called for an immediate end to these “anti‑democratic” measures, demanded the closure of NATO bases in Turkey and urged the country to withdraw from “the war organization NATO”. Their protest framed NATO as a source of conflict rather than security, linking domestic rights violations to broader imperialist policies.