SACP condemns the downing of Russian jet by Turkey

25 November 2015

The South African Communist Party (SACP) condemns in strongest terms possible the downing of a Russian fighter jet by Turkey on Tuesday 24 November. Russian warships and fighter jets have been firing missiles and launching raids in Syria’s territory – targeted at the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS).

ISIS has been terrorising people, among others in Syria the Middle-East. It has committed thousands of the most brutal killings humanity has ever encountered in history. ISIS must be stopped and dismantled. It must not be protected!

The action by Turkey and, further, the automatic support expressed for it by some of its North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) military allies such as the United States of America bring into question their bona fides towards the elimination of terrorism.

This must be understood as exposing their hypocrisy and double standards. Accordingly, they must be understood as not being genuinely committed to the eradication of terrorism.

In the first place, the roots of many terrorist attacks that have been committed in North and East Africa, the Middle-East and recently in France, among others, lie in the activities of Western imperialism and its machination in other countries.

Secondly, many of the terrorist organisations – including ISIS – that have been unleashing atrocities against humanity were created with the help of Western imperialism which has further supported them technically, materially and by other means.

Statement issued by the SACP, Johannesburg, 25 November 2015