Chairperson Çağdaş Cengiz | Headquarters Istanbul, Turkey | |
Founded 19 May 2006 (19 May 2006) Ideology Student activism
Left-wing nationalism
Kemalism
Socialism
Anti-imperialism | ||
Youth Union of Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye Gençlik Birliği, TGB) is a Turkish left-wing nationalist, Kemalist revolutionary youth organization closely associated with the Patriotic Party. Founded on 19 May 2006, it comprises 65 student clubs and societies from over 40 Turkish universities.
TGB opposes any future Turkish membership in the European Union and any cooperation with what it calls "American imperialism". It has organized mass protests against the Justice and Development Party.
On November 12, 2014, members of the TGB protested United States Navy sailors from the USS Ross (DDG-71) that were in Istanbul and telling them, in English, "You declare that you are a member of US Army, and now because we define you as murderers, as killers, we want to you, you to, get out of our land." They also chanted "yankee, go home" as they assaulted three sailors and chased them as they fled the scene. The incident was video recorded. The TGB put out a statement saying: "Bags we put over the American soldiers are for the nations of Palestine to Syria." Turkish police later arrested 12 members of the TGB who, in December, were charged for the assault and the Istanbul TGB President Uğur Aytaç said about the violent attack: "proud to be detained for such a reason."
The TGB has opened Attilâ İlhan Cultural Centers in several cities to promote its values among young people. Its centers in Ankara, Istanbul, İzmir, Eskişehir and Afyon are to be followed by new ones in Bursa, Diyarbakır, Eskişehir, Sivas, Muğla, Mersin, Trabzon, Erzurum, Hatay and Denizli.