Internationalist activists from Latin America, Europe and the Middle East held a press conference during their march under the slogan “Freedom for Öcalan, Status for Kurdistan”. Activists said the march continued successfully and added: “ Our march is an example of international solidarity with political prisoners, as part of 24 local long marches throughout Europe.”

“WHAT BRINGS US TOGETHER IS OUR FURY AND OUR GOALS”

“As 70 internationalist activists from 17 different countries, what brings us together is our shared concerns, our fury and our goals. Our concerns and our fury is for identities, freedoms, differences and the democratic arena being ignored and oppressed in the 21st century still through coercion and pressure,” read the statement and stressed that the sovereign nation states attempt to get out of the crisis and chaos the capitalist modernity they base their hegemony on experiences through feeding fundamentalism, nationalism and sexism.

The statement underlined that the cost for these oppressive and discriminatory policies was shouldered by women, minorities and oppressed classes and pointed out the policies of AKP fascism.

“THEY ARE TRYING TO ISOLATE THE KURDISH MOVEMENT BY CRIMINALIZING US”

The statement continued: “At the top of the people suffering from hegemonic states and colonialist forces is the Kurdish people. Especially for more than 2 years now, the AKP government has used faiths as a tool to deepen the divide in the society. On the other hand, they are employing the methods of pressuring to control Kurds throughout history and they are expanding the war they wage both in and outside the country. Cities are torn to the ground in places where Kurds live, all political representatives are taken hostage, trustees are being appointed to their democratic gains, NGOs formed by the people to meet their own needs are shut down and opposition and free media are banned so there will be nobody left to question all these, turning into the most important tool of the psychological war the government wages. The state of Turkey forces their anti-Kurdish policies onto their allies and hegemonic powers worldwide, reflecting the Kurdish Freedom Movement as a ‘terrorist’ organization to the international community and subjecting it to a ruthless criminalization. People like us who support the legitimate struggle of the Kurdish people are subjected to criminalizing practices by the state and the Kurdish movement is attempted to be isolated through these practices.”

"NOT OPPOSING DENIAL WILL CREATE ACCOMPLICES"

The statement from activists marching from Luxembourg to Strasbourg with the slogan Freedom for Öcalan, Status for Kurdistan continues as follows:

“The international powers want to develop a war among the peoples in Syria through inhumane gangs like ISIS. The Turkish state supports the gangs against the Kurdish people, fighting for their lives against anti-democratic forces. This war has become more visible with the invasion of Northern Syria. In this way, the democratic gains of the Kurdish people are attempted to be erased. Today, the policies of denial and annihilation enacted against the existence of the Kurdish people are spreading through all segments of society. This shows that no people can be truly free where a people is being denied, they can only be accomplices to the dirty policies under the oppression and exploitation of the hegemonic powers.

“ROJAVA REVOLUJTION IS THE VICTORY OF DEMOCRATIC MODERNITY AGAINST CAPITALIST MODERNITY”

On the other hand, as the dilemmas of the nation states and the capitalist system deepens in the world, the emancipation struggle rising against this is also becoming universal. Rojava is an example of this struggle for emancipation, it shows us that a different world is possible here, today, against the nation state, capitalism and the patriarchal system, increasing our faith in the struggle and spreading hope. The Kurdish people show that against all kinds of oppression and exploitation, a project where different faiths, languages and peoples can live together, equally and freely is possible. They are presenting a new paradigm to the whole of humanity based on a grassroots radical democracy based on the emancipation of women, and an ecological life against attacks on nature and humanity. Rojava is a source of courage for peoples who fight in different parts of the world today as a place where the universal values and freedom people have fought for throughout history come to life. This revolution is a women’s revolution. It is the societies led by the women and the youth taking back their living spaces. Democratic nation for Kurdistan and democratic confederal system for the Middle East and the world is a model for an alternative life for all of humanity. And that is the victory of the democratic modernity against the capitalist modernity.”

“IMPRISONMENT OF ÖCALAN IS A HISTORIC CRIME OF THE FORCES OF CAPITALIST MODERNITY”

The statement stressed that the imprisonment of the Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan is the historic crime of all the forces of capitalist modernity, and lastly called for a united fight against fascism. The statement called for participation to the march and rally to be held in Strasbourg, France to protest February 15 this Saturday and called on the CPT (Committee for the Prevention of Torture) and other European Institutions to fulfill their duties and responsibilities. The statement concluded as follows:

“The conditions that the creator of all these, Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan, is held under on the İmralı island is the historic crime of all the capitalist modernity forces. It has been 18 years since he was arrested in a conspiracy that the international powers took part in in 1999 and was handed over to the Turkish state. In spite of that, he displayed great resistance, managed the impossible, let the world know of his views and now these views are alive today in Rojava, Shengal and all of Kurdistan. Because of this, we demand that all political prisoners, primarily Mr. Abdullah Öcalan and all political prisoners arrested in Turkey, to be released. We demand Kurdistan receive a political status. And we want to show that we are in this fight together, that this fight is also our fight.

Today is the day to fight with a united heart and a united fist against fascism.

Today is the day to not only resist capitalist modernity but to create the force and the system for an alternative life.

In this groundwork, our call for people, organizations and peoples who call themselves revolutionaries, democrats and opponent in Europe is that they participate in our demonstration, join us, and take their place beside humanity. Our march will conclude with the central march and the rally organized by the KCDK-E and the TJKE in Strasbourg on February 11. We also call on all EU countries and all institutions, primarily the CPT, to fulfill their duties and responsibilities.”