The celebration to mark Newroz, the Kurdish New Year, took place in Hatay with the slogan "Rabe dema azadî û serkeftinê ye" (Stand up, it is time for freedom and success). The event started early in the morning with great enthusiasm in Altıocak neighbourhood of Dörtyol district. Many people participated in the celebrations on the foothills of Amanos Mountains in their national clothes. Representatives of political parties and non-governmental organisations as well as hundreds of people attended the celebrations, which started with a minute of silence in memory of those who lost their lives in the struggle for freedom and democracy, followed by dancing to the songs of local artists.

Addressing the crowd, DEM Party Dörtyol District Co-Chair Hıdır Simli saluted the hunger strike action initiated by political prisoners on 27 November to demand the physical freedom of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan and the solution of the Kurdish question. Simli called for a struggle for the demands of the prisoners to be met as soon as possible. 

After the reading of the message sent by Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan to the 2013 Newroz, DEM Party co-mayoral candidates in the city were called to the stage. The candidates congratulated the people and prisoners on Newroz and called for a united struggle, saying "It is time to break the Imrali isolation".

Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar made a speech and said that Newroz is a long march for freedom and the identity of the Kurdish people's struggle.

DEM Party is coming to solve the problems

Reminding of the 6 February earthquake that hit many cities, Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar said, "One year has passed since the earthquake. Hatay experienced the earthquake most severely. We saw a very huge picture in this earthquake. It was a photo you already knew, but everyone saw it more clearly. We saw how the government, which claims to rule this country, relates to the people. The government, which exposed us to the earthquake disaster that day, is on the agenda with new threats. The government says, 'If I do not take the municipality, I will not provide services'. There is no need to say this, we already know it. You have witnessed how it behaves towards those who do not vote for it, in places where the municipality is run by another party. What did the AKP government, which has no voice, no word, no policy in Kurdistan, do? It appointed trustees to the hard-won gains of the people. It even appointed a trustee to its own trustee. Now, in the local elections, all political parties are discussing 'What will the DEM Party do? The DEM Party tradition has not abandoned pro-people municipalism and democratic municipalism for years and will not do so. It is coming to solve the problems of our society."

Massacre and denial is the road map of the government

Commenting on the government's policies of denial, massacre and assimilation, the DBP Co-Chair stated: "The road map of the regime has been massacre, denial and assimilation for a century. Names have changed, governments have changed, people have changed, but relations with Kurds have not changed. A week ago, they held a meeting in Baghdad and signed an agreement. They signed and made an agreement on how they will slaughter the Kurds through cross-border operations."

Uçar, who also touched upon the Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s efforts for a solution, drew attention to the 2013 Newroz Declaration and said "Mr Abdullah Öcalan sent a declaration to the 2013 Newroz in Amed and everyone listened to it; not only Kurds, but all the peoples living in Turkey. It was a Newroz declaration that a world without blood, tears and deaths in Turkey is possible. This declaration was accepted by all peoples and all social segments in Turkey. However, it was not brought into being. The declaration means peace, equality, freedom, justice, justice and law in Turkey. Who would not benefit from this? Of course, it is not in the favour of the AKP-MHP government. That is why they said, 'we have frozen the solution process’ and continued to commit massacres again."

The solution lies in İmrali

Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar stated that the Kurdish question lies at the root of the problems in Turkey and that the solution to the Kurdish question is in İmralı.

After the speech, Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar and the Peace Mothers lit the Newroz fire together. The Newroz celebration ended with songs performed by artists Baran Bozyel and Cevdet Bağca.