'Status for Mother Tongue' march takes place in Van
A call was made during the marches organized as part of the Kurdish Language Day events: "The national values of the Kurdish people must be recognized for an honorable peace."
A call was made during the marches organized as part of the Kurdish Language Day events: "The national values of the Kurdish people must be recognized for an honorable peace."
In the districts of Bêgirî (Muradiye) and Ebex (Çaldıran) in Van (Wan), marches were held under the slogan "Status for Kurdish, education in Kurdish," led by Kurdish language institutions as part of the Kurdish Language Day events.
Representatives of political parties, elected officials, local associations, civil society organizations, and many individuals participated in the marches.
First, a march was held in the town center of Bêgirî, and then the crowd moved on to Ebex, continuing their march in the town center there.
During the march, the crowd chanted slogans such as “Kurd, Kurdish, Kurdistan,” and “No life without language,” while carrying signs that read “Status for Kurdish” and “Education in Kurdish.”
After the march in Ebex, a press statement was made. A banner reading “Status for Kurdish, education in Kurdish” was displayed.
Gülşen Kurt, co-chair of the People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Wan Province, said that 15 May was Kurdish Language Day and added: "For years, the Kurdish people have resisted policies of assimilation and denial. A person’s mother tongue is their symbol, their culture, their life. The Kurdish people must embrace and preserve this value. Kurdish is an ancient and rich language, and therefore we must preserve and teach our mother tongue. I call on our families from here: we must turn every home into a Kurdish school and teach Kurdish to our children."
Heval Dilbahar, co-spokesperson of the DEM Party’s Language and Culture Commission, referred to the call made by Önder Apo on February 27 and said: "We fully support this call. Today, when the government does not recognize our language, our culture, our names, our cities, villages, and homeland—how can peace be achieved? For an honorable peace, the national values of the Kurdish people must be recognized."