HDP 4th Ordinary Congress kicks off in Ankara

Thousands of people from Kurdistan and Turkey gathered in front of the hall where the HDP 4th Ordinary Congress takes place.

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) 4th Ordinary Congress will be held in Ankara Sports Hall (Arena) today. From the early hours of the morning, people started to gather in front of the Congress Hall. Approximately 30 thousand people are expected to attend the congress. They came with hundreds of vehicles and 600 of which buses.

As the congress hall is already filling up, queues are formed at the entrances. While police in three different points are checking bags, items such as power supplies and chargers are not allowed into the area.

Despite the police blockade at the entrance, thousands of people have already entered the hall in an atmosphere of enthusiasm. Women colored the hall with their yellow, red and green national clothes.

The music group began playing and they are chanting "Resisting we will win", "Jin Jiyan Azadi" and "Be serok jiyan nabe".

Guests from 28 different countries, including Armenia, Iraq, Tunisia, Palestine, Jordan, Morocco, Cyprus, Sweden, West Bank, France, Galicia, Germany, Australia, Lebanon, Greece, Basque, Egypt, Italy, Catalonia, Denmark, Norway, England, Scotland, Portugal, Finland, Switzerland, Spain are attending the HDP congress like are more than 30 political party representatives and many women's organizations from the Middle East.

Among the prominent guests are also the Council of Europe United Left Group Parliamentary Assembly President Tiny Kox, President of the European Free Alliance Lorena Lopez de Lacalle, Deputy Secretary General of the European Socialists Party, Giacomo Filibeck, European Parliament Socialists and Democrats Group member Nikos Androulakis.

The people in the hall chanted slogans against the isolation of Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan when the banner saying “End isolation” was put up.