Germany-wide solidarity actions with the prison resistance in Turkey

Solidarity actions with the hunger strike of political prisoners in Turkey have taken place again in several German cities on Saturday.

Demonstrations in support of the hunger strike against the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan and the prison conditions of political prisoners in Turkey, which has been going on for over fifty days, took place again this Saturday in several cities in Germany. The protest, initiated on November 27 by imprisoned PKK and PAJK members, has rapidly developed into a resistance movement in which thousands of prisoners in more than a hundred prisons have participated so far. To give support to the hunger strikers' demand, daily vigils and solidarity actions are taking place around the world.

In Duisburg, the Kurdish association DKTM and the Federation of Migrant Workers in Germany (AGIF) had called for participation in a rally on the Brunnenmeile. The demo bore the motto "Break the isolation, smash fascism" and was supported by the Confederation of Workers from Turkey (ATIK) and the Movement of Combative Young Women (TEKO-JIN).

In Münster, Kurds and people in solidarity gathered in front of the main train station for a vigil. Speeches pointed out that the isolation in the island prison Imrali, where Abdullah Öcalan has been held as a political hostage since 1999, has spread to all prisons and the entire country. In order to break the fascist grip and to fight against the systematic intimidation of the whole society, a collective resistance is necessary, speakers said.

In addition to members of the Kurdish community, numerous internationalist and anti-fascist activists took part in a demonstration in Winsen an der Luhe. The demo was promoted by the local group of the Kurdish youth movement TCŞ.

In Heilbronn, a rally was held on Kiliansplatz to make the demands of the hunger-striking prisoners heard.

In the metropolis of Cologne, the meeting point of a rally organized by the DKTM and the Viyan Women's Council was the station forecourt. In a statement read out in the name of the nationwide Kurdish umbrella organization KON-MED, solidarity with the hunger-striking prisoners was called for. The highlight of the meeting was the participation of a married couple from Rojava, who had married in a civil ceremony shortly before. The couple joined in with a flag bearing the image of Abdullah Öcalan and declared their solidarity with the political prisoners.

In Düsseldorf, a rally in support of political prisoners also promoted the campaign "100 reasons to prosecute the dictator". The campaign, initiated by the Kurdish Women's Movement in Europe (TJK-E), denounces the misogynistic and deadly policies of the Turkish AKP government. The women's movement demands that Turkish dictator Recep Tayyip Erdoğan be brought to justice for his crimes.

In Munich, Sara Women's Council and the Kurdish Community Center DKTM organised a demo at the Stachus. Internationalists also took part in the demo, and a statement by KON-MED was read out.