A rally was held in front of the British Parliament on the anniversaries of the ‘Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, a Political Solution to the Kurdish Question’ campaign and the 9 October International Conspiracy.

Before the rally, Kurdish activists participated in the long march organised by the Revolutionary Youth Movement on the 3rd and last day to salute the global campaign. A large number of people participated in the march which started in the Tottenham Court area, carrying banners and posters promoting the international campaign for freedom for Abdullah Öcalan.

As the crowd marched with applause, chants and slogans, songs written for Abdullah Öcalan and Kurdistan Freedom Guerrillas rose from the loudspeakers. The march attracted great interest from the neighbourhood and hundreds of leaflets were distributed.

‘Öcalan overthrew capitalist modernity with the paradigm he developed’

At the rally held here, Ercan Akbal made a speech on behalf of the campaign for Öcalan’s freedom. Akbal condemned the 9 October International Conspiracy and said, “This conspiracy was despicable and dishonourable. Leader Apo (Abdullah Öcalan) overthrew capitalist modernity with the paradigm he developed in the face of this conspiracy and millions are following in his footsteps today. We will continue our march until the freedom of Leader Apo is achieved. And as those who want peace and freedom in the Middle East, we are uniting around the ideas of Leader Apo. Absolute isolation will be overthrown, and Leader Apo will be freed.”

‘Those who remain silent are accomplices’

Agit Karataş from the Foreign Relations Commission of the Kurdish People's Assembly highlighted the extent of the absolute isolation imposed on Abdullah Öcalan and said: “Those who remain silent in the face of the absolute isolation of Leader Apo are accomplices of the 9 October Conspiracy. International organisations and the British government should listen to the voices of the peoples and millions of Kurds.”

‘The only leader who says that humanity cannot be freed without the freedom of women’

92-year-old renowned human rights defender, lawyer Margaret Owen was among those who took part in the protest. Owen said: “He is the only leader who says that humanity cannot be freed without the freedom of women. Therefore, he emphasises that we need to get rid of this male-dominated system. He is the only leader in the world who puts this at the centre of his paradigm. Imprisoned for more than 25 years, Öcalan wrote very valuable thoughts, ideas and books that serve humanity under those conditions. He wrote extraordinary things in those books.”

Stating that Abdullah Öcalan's books should be included in the curriculum of schools and made available to children, Owen said: “His ideas on the system of Democratic Confederalism, as well as the women's liberation struggle and Jineology are extraordinary. They put forward the idea of all human beings living together and in peace on this planet, protecting the ecosystem.”

Margaret Owen emphasised that the torture methods applied to Abdullah Öcalan, such as absolute isolation, ban on family visits, ban on lawyers, ban on telephone calls, depriving him of all kinds of freedom, are cruel and inhumane and said, “Nelson Mandela rules should be applied to every prisoner. Unfortunately, the CPT has been unable to release a report on Öcalan for years. This is unacceptable.”

Appealing to the ruling Labour Party, Margaret Owen said, “I cannot understand Labour's silence on Abdullah Öcalan. We had no expectations from the Conservative Party, but Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Minister David Lammy are also lawyers. What kind of justice system is this? And, you cannot remain silent.”

Margaret Owen concluded her speech by saying, “My only hope is to see Abdullah Öcalan free and his people living in peace before I die.”

‘We need to raise our voices for the Kurdish people’

Speaking after, Maxine Looby, President of the University and College Union (UCU), which has 120 thousand members, noted that they are members of the campaign for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan and said: “As trade unions in the UK, we are proud of our past. We have always been against oppression and tyranny. For example, we fought for the freedom of Nelson Mandela. We have been in solidarity with the Palestinian people for years. Today, we need to raise our voices for the Kurdish people who have been fighting against ISIS and struggling for freedom in Turkey.”

Looby said that the campaign for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan must grow more than ever, “To support the campaign is also to listen to the voices of millions of Kurds.  This is not just a campaign for the freedom of one person.  It is a campaign for human rights, peace and democracy in the region in the person of Abdullah Öcalan. As UCU, we will stand by the campaign for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan.”

Austin Harvey from the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) said that they felt it was their duty to stand by a people struggling for democracy and freedom. 

After the speeches, the activists continued their demonstration with Kurdish dance in front of the Parliament building. The demonstration continued on the London Underground with songs and slogans.