Hon Tammy Franks MLC, Greens Member of the Parliament of South Australia, wrote a letter addressing to the members of the Kurdish community.

The letter reads as follows:

I am proud to support and add my name to the Open Letter from Women, which makes it clear that Kurdistan should not become a battleground for regional or global wars and that it should be an inspiration for democracy and peaceful coexistence in the Middle East.

As a Greens member of the South Australian Parliament peace and non-violence is a principle I hold very dear, as is grass-roots democracy. I stand with the undersigned women, and particularly with the women who are facing violence as a result of occupation and the Turkish state’s attempts at establishing a cultural and ethnic hegemony. I stand with the Kurdish people — and particularly the women — against the ongoing violence they experience as a result of this policy of assimilation and occupation.

We cannot remain silent while the Turkish state continues to act unilaterally against Kurds, and as the letter rightly states it is our silence that allows others to weaken the Kurdish strategy for democracy, peace, and stability. We must all support a just and peaceful resolution to this issue as a step towards democratisation in the wider region.

In solidarity”

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