The Congress of Kurdistan Democratic Communities in Europe (KCDK-E) issued a statement to mark 1 May, International Workers' Day.

The statement said: "1 May is the day on which all workers and peoples fighting against oppression unite in solidarity and express their common will for freedom. It is the day on which all people, regardless of skin colour, religion, language or gender, express their desire for a just, democratic and peaceful world. 

It is the workers, the peasants and, above all, the women who make their own living and therefore best understand what this struggle for freedom means. Women workers are victims of exploitation and oppression because of their class and gender. They are leading the struggle for a democratic and ecological society, for an alternative to patriarchy and capitalism."

The statement added: "Through neoliberalism in particular, capitalist modernity has brought not only human beings and the values they have created, but also the entire natural environment and the entire planet to the brink of destruction through a mentality of unrestricted exploitation and profit. It threatens to destroy all the foundations of life. While the profits of multinational corporations reach record highs and there is more speculation on the world's stock exchanges than ever before, masses of people are losing their jobs, their income and their livelihoods. 

Last year, more money was invested in armaments and the war machine worldwide than ever before. Millions of people around the world are on the run, forced to leave their homes due to war and occupation. The fascist policy of the Turkish state, which has become the greatest obstacle to democracy, equality and the liberation of labourers, women and peoples in the Middle East, is an example of this. The war expenditure, especially in Kurdistan, is paid for with profits at the expense of the workers. War leads to the impoverishment of the peoples, while the rich get richer and richer. " 

The statement continued: "That is why we draw strength and hope from the revolution in Rojava, from the Jin Jiyan Azadî uprising in Iran led by Kurdish women and, last but not least, from the liberation struggle of the Kurds in the Turkic part of Kurdistan, which is fighting against Erdoğan fascism. There is hope that radical alternatives will increasingly be the subject of discussions at international level and of struggles on the streets.  

Whether Indian farmers, textile workers in Bangladesh, European workers, global environmentalists or Kurdish women - the resistance and the search for a better life continue. For this reason, we invite all feminist, ecological and democratic movements, all young people, all women and all resistant societies to organise with us within the framework of democratic world confederalism. We must rethink and realise that another world is not only possible, but already a reality, and that we must fight to ensure that all people in this world can lead a life of dignity. 

The authoritarian regimes and the capitalist states are waging a brutal war against the peoples and want to silence our political representatives and resistance leaders. That is why the Kurdish thought leader Abdullah Öcalan, who today stands for the paradigm of democratic modernity, has been imprisoned for 25 years with the help and support of the capitalist states. And for three years in total isolation. On this international day, it is our duty to protest against this torture and this attack."  

The statement added: "Today, more than ever, it is necessary to oppose the three pillars of the ruling system - capital monopoly, industrialism and the nation state - with a grassroots democracy based on a communal economy, ecological industry and a democratic nation. Neither nationalism nor racism nor sexism can be the cause of the exploited and oppressed. They serve to divide us and thus weaken us. The way to salvation is to build democratic modernity together."