The Youth Assembly of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) is staging a march from Amed (tr. Diyarbakır) to Amara, the birthplace of Abdullah Öcalan in the district of Halfeti, Urfa province. The action is part of the activities marking the 76th birthday of the Kurdish leader. The march, organized under the slogan “We march to freedom with a democratic society”, kicked off in Amed on 1 April and will end in Amara on 4 April, Öcalan’s birthday.

The activists arrived in the district of Suruç yesterday evening and spent the night there.

Early this morning, the activists marched to Amara Cultural Center, the site of a massacre by ISIS on 20 July, 2015.

The suicide attack in Suruç district occurred when around 300 socialist volunteers had gathered at the Amara Cultural Center at the request of the Federation of Socialist Youth Associations (SGDF) to hold a press conference before leaving for Kobanê. The planned trip to northern Syria was intended to be an act of solidarity. The young people wanted to bring toys and humanitarian aid to the city destroyed by ISIS. 33 of them lost their lives and more than 100 others were wounded.

In a press statement here, the activists paid tribute to the victims of the massacre, chanting “Şehid namirin” [Martyrs are immortal].

Özgür Garipsaz, a member of the Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK) Youth Assembly, saluted the socialist activists who were martyred in the attack and stated that attacks on SGDF still continue today.

Youth Communes member Doğukan Mağol stated that, with the Suruç massacre, Turkey tried to provoke both international solidarity and the resolution process in place at that time.

Mağol said, “The state continues its provocation at Tishrin Dam today. We call out to the state to give up this provocation. The struggle continues today in Zap and Tishrin.”

The activists then set off for Halfeti, where thousands of people are attending a festival to celebrate Öcalan’s birthday.

The gendarmerie (military police) set up a barricade at the entrance of Halfeti and prevented the passage of the vehicles.

After hours of obstruction, the gendarmerie attacked the activists with water cannons and gas bombs.

The crowd responded to the attack by standing shoulder to shoulder, chanting slogans and singing songs.

While the obstruction continues, masses have started marching to the district center on foot.