KCK Executive Council Co-President Cemil Bayık stated the following in the piece that he wrote for Yeni Özgür Politika and Azadiya Welat newspapers, which was translated by ANF English service below:

“The AKP government has become the most fascist and anti-Kurdish government of Turkey’s history. Instead of democratization and political initiatives, the AKP has focused on destroying the Kurds. It has decided to continue its power through enmity towards Kurds and attacks on the Kurdish Freedom Movement. Since the AKP has based its power on crushing the Kurds, it has become a genocidal government in the eyes of the Kurdish people. With this characteristic, it has become the most dangerous government for Kurdish people over the past century. The history of the Turkish Republic has been the history of putting Kurds through genocide; however this state policy has been spread over time. But the AKP government is reluctant on giving up its power and has been carrying out oppressive policies because it has linked its power to its enmity towards Kurdish people. It has received the support of the MHP and all other enemies of Kurdish people with its policies hostile towards Kurds. In order to continue its rule, the AKP has implemented policies hostile towards Kurds that no other government has ever implemented. The fascist attacks it carries out when people say that they will rule their street and neighborhood exposes the AKP government’s true face.

The AKP government is no longer an ordinary government. It has decided to establish a new authoritarian and hegemonic regime in Turkey. As it overcame the ideological, political and institutional aspects of the old republic, it has began to construct its own hegemony. Establishing a new hegemony could only be made possible by eliminating the earnings of democratization that had been achieved through the struggles of the previous decades because hegemony can only be realize through enmity towards democracy. For this, the AKP had to crush Kurdish democracy forces; the most dynamic force of democracy in Turkey. With its current attacks on the democracy dynamics of Kurdish people, the AKP wants to remove the obstacle on the way of its new genocidal hegemony.

The AKP wants to prevent Turkey from democratization with its attacks on Kurdish people. AKP’s new hegemony is possible if Turkey does not democratize and this is why the AKP has linked its power to enmity towards Kurdish people. However, Kurds’ existence and struggle enforces democratization. This is why the AKP mentality has become hostile towards Kurds. In a way, enmity towards Kurds was more of a necessity than a choice for the AKP. Whatever their political views are, all Kurds must understand this fact about the AKP well and take a stance accordingly.

The AKP government’s detainment of Amed Co-Mayors is the peak of its enmity towards Kurds because Amed has always been the symbol of Kurds’ will for a free and democratic life. Therefore, the attacks on Amed Co-Mayors are attacks on the existence and will of Kurdish people. Through Amed, the will of all Kurdish people is being trampled on.

This is a conscious and planned attack on a symbol. Just like how the fascist military coup of September 12 aimed to break the will of Kurdish people through the prisoners in Amed Prison No 5, the AKP carries out attacks on Amed. It is now time to resist these attacks and rise up with the spirit and determination of the prisoners in Amed during the September 12 coup, the spirit of the 2006 uprising, the passion for freedom of Çîyager; the legendary commander of Sur resistance who said “Both our resistance and our martyrdom will be spectacular,” and the honorable stance of Sheikh Said on the gallows. It is fitting for the people of Amed to rise up when oppression increases and the threats of genocide against Kurdish people are uttered every day. When Amed rises up, all Kurds passionate about freedom rise up.

Appointing a trustee to Amed municipality has always been one of the AKP government’s main goals, but it has first targeted smaller municipalities and saved Amed for last in order to reduce the backlash. Now, we are entering this final stage. However, this is not just an attack on the municipalities but is also a part of the war on Kurdish people. With this attack, the AKP aims to break the will of Amed and of Kurdish people, and implement its genocidal colonialism in Kurdistan without obstacles and more comprehensively.

Now that the attacks on Amed are attacks on Kurdishness, all Kurds must rise up and support the resistance of the people of Amed; to show that Kurds’ will cannot be broken."