Fikri Sönmez commemorated on the 40th anniversary of his death

News Centre

Fikri Sönmez, the revolutionary mayor of Fatsa in Ordu, known affectionately as “Tailor Fikri,” was commemorated at his grave on the 40th anniversary of his death. The first ceremony in his memory took place at his grave in Kabakdağı Village, Fatsa. Organised by the SOL Party, the commemoration was attended by Sönmez’s comrades in struggle, SOL Party Spokesperson Önder İşleyen, revolutionary movement leader Bülent Forta, BirGün Executive Board Chair İbrahim Aydın, and BirGün Editorial Coordinator Yaşar Aydın.

On the morning of the event, a crowd gathered in the city centre and departed for Kabakdağı Village at 11:00. From the village entrance to the cemetery, they marched with banners, chanting slogans such as “Fikri Sönmez is in these dawns” and “Fatsa, Fikri lives on.”

During the march, placards bore the images of revolutionaries who lost their lives resisting fascism in Fatsa. After the march, a moment of silence was observed in memory of Sönmez and the fallen revolutionaries.

Speeches at the graveside also commemorated Sedat Göçmen, the Black Sea Regional Coordinator of Devrimci Yol, who passed away on 28 January.

REVOLUTION IS OUR ONLY PATH TO LIBERATION

Fikri Sönmez and Sedat Göçmen’s comrade Aydın Akyazı said, “We’ve spoken of Fatsa many times. Books have been written, talks held in schools. We know that the idea of Fatsa still remains relevant.” Akyazı continued: “Today, once again, we gather at Brother Fikri’s resting place. But this time, we also send our love and respect to Sedat Göçmen, here in Brother Fikri’s presence. I want to highlight something. I was tried in the Fatsa Devrimci Yol case along with Brother Fikri. One morning, following a complaint against me, I was removed from the ward. When I realised I was being taken to the observation room, I shouted down the corridor at the top of my voice: ‘Revolution is our only path to liberation. Good morning, comrades.’ Later, Sedat said, ‘I’ve never been woken up in a more beautiful way.’ As we remember them, I repeat it once more: revolution is our only path to liberation. With respect to their memory.”

The LEFT Party Central Committee Member Pelin Bektaş also said: “To remember Fikri Sönmez is to remember all his comrades in struggle. We are a generation trying to understand what that truly means. We had the opportunity to meet and struggle alongside his comrades. The fact that we can still discuss the Fatsa experience, or ODTÜ Student Council, today is the result of serious dedication, correct revolutionary practice, and study.

Today, we can see that there is a generation here, from 7 to 70. And there are people who have carried and still uphold a 40-year-old revolutionary tradition.”

UNBREAKABLE CHAIN

The commemoration, which began at the grave of Fikri Sönmez in Kabakdağı village, Fatsa, continued with a panel discussion at Bolaman Park Restaurant. Speakers shared memories of their time in Fatsa and paid tribute to Sönmez and his revolutionary comrades.

Speaking at the event titled “A Past, A Future: There Is a Road in the Black Sea”, BirGün Executive Board Chair İbrahim Aydın said: “When we think of Fatsa, a revolutionary model comes to mind. This model is directly democratic, rooted in the people’s own self-organisation. It is a model the world needs now more than ever. Sedat Göçmen played a vital role in spreading this idea throughout the Black Sea region.

If we want to revive socialism today, we must embrace the same principles — recognising the real problems of the people, giving initiative to those who experience those problems, and building politics on that basis. The Black Sea region is still trying to do this in various ways, especially in the fight against environmental destruction. But we need more examples and more work. We have the practices to do it. If we can give concrete form to the idea of building tomorrow today, then we will have paid our debt to Fikri Sönmez, Sedat Göçmen, and our fallen comrades.”

Revolutionary movement leader Bülent Forta added: “This place is near where Mahir Çayan, the leader who opened a new era in the Turkish revolutionary movement and developed the political theory of our current line was killed. For us, Fatsa represents both the soil where our roots gave their lives and a political movement that carried the whole country back onto a path of struggle through those sacrifices. We are here together to remember our comrades. Fikri Sönmez was a link connecting the THKP-C movement with Devrimci Yol. Our comrade Sedat Göçmen was one of the most important figures who added new links to that chain. And the comrades here in this room have, until now, remained unbroken parts of that chain.”

BirGün Editorial Coordinator Yaşar Aydın said: “It was the strength of these values and ideas before us, and the purity of the legacy they left behind, that made it easy for us to become revolutionaries and to make that choice without hesitation. Our generation had no other real option. We took up that flag with pride. The ideas forged in that period should once again fill the streets of this country after March 19. Our ideas are so strong, so pure, so indomitable that they are already walking the streets. They’re alive in the voices of young people we’ve never even met. The clearest ideas ever put forward by revolutionary students in this country still come from the ODTÜ Student Council.”

The LEFT Party Spokesperson Önder İşleyen concluded: “I grew up here too. In our neighbourhood, there were stars painted on the walls, stars that even 12 September couldn’t erase. We didn’t know what they meant at the time. Later, when we learned about Devrimci Yol, we understood. Each of us chose a path of struggle. We pursued a hope for a new country, a new world, against injustice and inequality. This movement changed the life trajectory of millions of people in this country. That’s why it has endured for 50 years. Despite everything, what we have today is a powerful history and deep roots in this country’s soil, roots that will not be erased. And we will carry them into the future.”

Note: This text has been translated from the original Turkish version titled Fikri Sönmez 40’inci ölüm yıldönümünde anıldı, published in BirGün newspaper on May 5, 2025.