KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council Co-chair Cemil Bayık spoke to ANF on the KDP-allied gangs’ attack on Shengal and said: “Today there is a great war in the Middle East. The old status quo and the balance are gone, a new balance hasn’t been formed yet, all parties are fighting to form the new balance in their favor.”

Bayık stated that the continuation of denial and annihilation politics show that the Kurds have no place in the upset balance and added: “The disruption of the old status quo and the balances are good for the Kurds, and it serves the Kurds. Because the Kurdish people have suffered the most from the status quo and these balances.

“THE KURDISH PEOPLE INCREASE THEIR STRUGGLE EVERY DAY”

With the disruption of the status quo and the balances, a historic opportunity emerged for the Kurds. The Kurds are striving to take advantage of this historic opportunity and to take their place in the new balances and the status quo. Every day they increase their struggle. As time passes, the Kurds become a main force in the Middle East.

As the struggle of the Kurds increases, they become a leading force. With this, dangers for Kurds also emerge. The emerging dangers are geared towards removing the historic opportunities the Kurds have. For the Kurds and the peoples of the region to win big, these dangers are few and weak. The hegemonic powers attack, taking advantage of the Kurds’ inability to be united. If the Kurds achieve their national unity and hold the National Congress, the hegemonic powers won’t pose a threat for the Kurds.

The Kurds are facing a historic opportunity. If the Kurds are not united, they will be open to dangers and attacks, and won’t be able to remove the threats. If the Kurds achieve national unity, nobody can pose a threat for them. They will develop their leadership in the region, and will be able to fulfill their historic duty toward the people of the region in all areas of freedom. Because the Kurdish movement is getting stronger, becoming a main force, leading, and the fascist Turkish state is working so the Kurds don’t achieve unity and they don’t become a leading and main force.

To this end, they are calculating how they can disrupt Kurds’ unity, develop enmity among Kurds and make them fight each other instead of against their enemies. The Turkish state has based their domestic and foreign policy on anti-Kurdishness, and they make that clear every day. Not only do they say this clearly, but they also attack Kurds in every way.

They are calculating how they can disrupt the unity among Kurds, develop enmity amongst them and destroy Kurds, so the Kurds can’t take advantage of this historic opportunity. To build their hegemony over Kurds again, they attack Rojava, Bashur and Bakur. They pressured HDP in Northern Kurdistan, they weakened the MPs, they even cancelled their MP status, they have arrested and imprisoned MPs. They confiscated municipalities, they imprisoned co-mayors. They appointed their own governors as trustees.

Now they are pushing the Kurds out of the municipalities, they burned and pillaged their lands just to make them migrate. They are confiscating the people’s homes and property. They are arresting people, they torture and kill, they remove from office, arrest journalists, expel academics. They are doing all these to complete the Kurdish genocide. That is the goal behind the declaration and continuation of the state of emergency.”

“MASOUD BARZANİ SHOULDN’T HAVE VISITED TURKEY DURING THIS PERIOD”

Bayık pointed out that the Turkish state dissolved the law and acted arbitrarily to complete the Kurdish genocide and added: “They are implementing absolutely invasionist and fascist laws. They are holding a referendum to sustain their own rule. They are using all means to win in the referendum. During this referendum process, they are deepening their policies against the Kurds and the democrats in Turkey.

In such a period, Mr. Masoud Barzani visited Turkey. Visiting Turkey at this time will serve Erdoğan and Bahçeli, that’s why he shouldn’t have gone. We are not opposed to Mr. Barzani visiting Turkey, we are not opposed to him holding meetings in Turkey. But Turkey is going through a fragile period. Him visiting Turkey in this period will act as helping Erdoğan and Bahçeli and serving them. It is not right that Mr. Barzani made comments praising Erdoğan before his visit either. It won’t serve the Kurdish people, it will serve Erdoğan and Bahçeli winning in the referendum. Them winning means the anti-Kurdish politics getting stronger. How can Mr. Barzani visit Turkey at such a time and support these politics?

Mr. Barzani’s visit will soften the reaction towards Erdoğan and Bahçeli among the people. It will legitimize what these people did to the Kurds. For these reasons, we wouldn’t want Mr. Barzani to visit Turkey in this period.

Shortly after Mr. Barzani returned, Turkey attacked Kurds in Manbij and Rojava. The forces trained, paid and armed by the Turkish state and the KDP attacked Khanasor and started a war. There have been martyrs there. These attacks took place right after Mr. Barzani visited Ankara and met Erdoğan. This created a concern in both the Kurdish people and the international area. That gave the impression that the attack was planned in Ankara. These attacks are imposed upon the Kurds, and this is causing concern. If Mr. Barzani and the KDP say the Ankara visit has nothing to do with this plan, they should immediately withdraw the forces sent to Shengal.

If they withdraw their forces, we and all Kurds and all peoples in the international arena who are deeply concerned will believe that the attack on Shengal wasn’t a plan that emerged from the Ankara visit and no plans have been made. Because we and conscientious Kurds and others with morality and conscience want to see this from Mr. Barzani and KDP.

The expectations of concerned Kurds and international forces are based around this. If they don’t withdraw this force, everybody will think this is a plan made against Kurds in Ankara and KDP is in on it.”

Bayık also said that this situation will harm both the KDP and all the Kurdish people, as the fascist-invading Turkish state wants Kurds to lose rather than take advantage of this historic opportunity.

“THE TURKISH STATE WANTS THE KURDISH PEOPLE TO FIGHT AMONG THEMSELVES”

KCK executive stated that the Turkish state doesn’t want the Kurds to be united, they want Kurds to have enmity and conflict among them, and that they want the Kurds to fight among themselves rather than against their enemies.

Bayık said through this, they wanted to make sure the Kurds lost, and added: “They are working for this. In whatever area, especially the KDP in Southern Kurdistan, should be able to see the policies the fascist invading Turkish state implements on the Kurds.

They shouldn’t partake in this plan, they should stand against this plan, they should fight alongside their own people for the freedom of the people. They should work for the unity of the Kurdish people, for achieving the National Congress. To this end, they should first withdraw the forces sent to Shengal that have caused martyrdoms.

If they withdraw the forces, we will believe that the KDP isn’t part of the plan against Êzidîs, Rojava and the PKK. Then the issue can be solved through dialogue in Shengal along with the Êzidîs, with their institutions and their administration. We will help in solving the issue. If they don’t do this, it will show clearly that they are part of this plan, they want war, and they oppose the Êzidîs living and self-governing in Shengal with their identity and their values. It will be clear that they want to remove the status Êzidîs created for themselves.

It will mean that they stand with Turkey and against the Rojava revolution. KDP will suffer damages with this policy, they will lose. Kurds won’t accept that. Because the Kurdish people want the Kurds to be united, they want the National Congress, they want national unity.

The existing danger can only be removed and the historic opportunity can only be taken through a national congress. Kurds want this, and expect this from us. All Kurds should heed this and work towards this. All should take this expectation and this hope as a basis, and we must realize this. Whoever doesn’t put this to practice will be seen against the unity of the Kurdish people, serving the invaders. How can the Kurds accept this? Kurds will not accept this.

All must know that our Êzidî people are not alone. We are with them. Like we defended them against ISIS attacks, all who attack the Êzidî people will have to face us at this point. This is a moral, humane and national duty for us. All Kurds have to protect the Êzidîs. Protecting the Êzidîs means protecting one’s own, and one’s own reality and humanity. The destruction of Êzidîs means the destruction of Kurds. Êzidîs are the root of Kurds. If the Kurds want to protect themselves, their future and their freedom, if they want to achieve a democratic and free life, the way to do that is through protecting Êzidîs.

Nobody is as oppressed as the Êzidîs, the Êzidîs are not against anybody, they don’t take anything from anybody and they don’t ask for much. Êzidîs experienced a massacre on August 3. The Iraqi government didn’t defend them, and neither did the government of the South. They abandoned them to face the massacre. If it wasn’t for PKK and YPG, there would have been a great massacre.

ISIS would have taken control of all of Shengal. And that would have been a great shame for Kurds. Kurds wouldn’t be able to step foot in Shengal again. PKK prevented ISIS from taking Shengal, Êzidîs from going through a massacre en masse, and defended the Êzidîs. Today Êzidîs are building their system in Shengal with their will, their identity and their values. For this, all should support the Êzidîs.

"WE SHOULD SUPPORT THE ÊZIDÎS"

We should support the Êzidîs, that is the right thing to do. It isn’t right to achieve hegemony over Shengal through Êzidîs. The issue of Shengal and the Êzidîs is not a party matter. It is a matter for all Kurdistan and all of humanity. To this end, all of humanity and the Kurds should protect the Êzidîs so the Êzidîs can govern and defend themselves. This will serve the KDP, Southern Kurdistan, other areas and humanity.

To this end, this is my call: KDP should withdraw their forces in Shengal immediately. All Kurds should demand this from the KDP. They should say, ‘Withdraw those forces, we don’t want war and conflict, we don’t want fragmentation. We want unity, we want the Kurdish National Congress. We don’t want the Êzidîs to be under attack. International forces, international institutions should protect the Êzidî people, they should protect their status.’ We should all demand the KDP withdraw the forces they sent there. If the Kurds stress their own humane and moral duties in the international arena, I believe that the KDP will withdraw their forces.

Then the issue will be resolved. In this framework, I salute the Êzidî people. Know this well, that you are not alone. Don’t bow down to anybody. Protect your identity, your autonomy, your values, your future and your religion. If you protect yourselves, nobody can defeat you. Protect and govern yourselves. I bow down in respect to your martyrs.”