The Congress of Democratic Societies of Kurdistan in Europe (KCDK-E) released a statement on the occasion of May 1, International Workers' Day.

The KCDK-E statement on Wednesday reads as follows:

“For more than 130 years, May Day has been the day when workers and the oppressed around the world rise up against exploitation, oppression, and state violence.

May Day represents the hope of a free society for the oppressed, and the struggle against exploitation, racism, and war.

This year, we mark May Day in a period of profound global upheaval in the Middle East and beyond. Capitalist powers are intensifying their exploitation and deepening their rivalries. Authoritarian regimes and neo-colonial interests continue to threaten the lives of peoples. Capitalist modernity is attacking not only the working and living conditions of millions, but also nature, human history, and our shared future.

May Day symbolizes the stance of the oppressed in the socialist struggle against exploitation. Only through a determined and unwavering struggle for a democratic society can humanity put an end to exploitation. Without such a struggle, militarism, nationalism, poverty, and wars will render the world uninhabitable.

For this reason, Abdullah Öcalan’s Call for Peace and a Democratic Society has become a source of hope for all peoples in a world shaken by crisis and war. His call on 27 February 2025 carries historical significance. Despite being held in severe isolation for over 26 years in Imralı Prison, Mr. Öcalan has continued to offer hope through his call for peace, democracy, and freedom, not only in Turkey but throughout the entire region. He has called for the construction of a free and democratic society, the guarantee of rights for all differences, faiths, and genders, and an end to war and oppression.

The Kurdish question has, for decades, played a key role in the unresolved conflicts within Turkey. True peace can only be achieved through democratization, and such democratization would not only benefit the Kurds, but also all laborers, trade unions, women’s movements, and minorities by enabling them to exercise their democratic rights within a free society.

Any democratic transformation in Turkey will have a profound impact on the wider region. As global investment in capitalist wars grows, millions of people are paying the economic cost of militarization and conflict. The Turkish state has long used its national budget to wage war beyond its borders and suppress the Kurdish people. In its pursuit of regional power, it squanders the labor and taxes of the working population on war and occupation.

Building a free and democratic society is only possible through determined and sustained struggle. For us, workers, women, and internationalists, standing together in united struggle for a world without exploitation, war, and repression is a fundamental responsibility.

May Day is the day we raise our voices to the world in defense of our struggle for a democratic society. On this occasion, let us fill the spaces of resistance and raise our voices for peace, calling for an end to all wars in Kurdistan, Syria, Iraq, and across the world.

Let us mobilize during the May Day events in Europe, Australia, and Canada to demand the physical freedom of the people's leader, Mr. Öcalan.

Let us come together this May Day to build an ecological, women’s liberation-based way of life and a democratic society. Long live international solidarity!”