Kurdish youth movements Tevgera Ciwanên Şoreşger (TCŞ) and Jinên Ciwan ên Têkoşer (TekoJIN) are organising long marches in 6 countries to protest the Turkish state's invasion and genocidal attacks against Kurdistan.

The central concern of the demonstrations is the freedom of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. This year, the focus is on Turkey's invasion of southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). Since mid-April, the Turkish state has again been waging a war of aggression against southern Kurdistan. With the event, the youth movement wants to send a powerful sign of solidarity to the guerrillas who are the only force resisting the targeted occupation of southern Kurdistan.

The three-day march in Switzerland kicked off from Solothurn at 11:30 today with activists displaying images of Öcalan and the flag of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Speaking in the name of CDK-S, İsmail Kardaş vowed that they would be standing against attacks on Kurdistan everywhere.

Speaking after, Yusuf Amed said, “While the freedom guerrillas fight in the mountains in the name of humanity, the invaders use chemical weapons against them. Yet, they will not be able to crush our will through these acts. We stand with the guerrillas who are fighting in the name of humanity, women, youth and all those seeking freedom. We make it clear to the enemies of humanity; the guerrilla is our honor and we will confront those who target our land, our leader and our will.”

Amed continued, “Neither your chemical weapons nor warplanes can break our will. As Kurdish youths, we will remain standing and our actions will continue until the physical freedom of our leader is secured."