In a statement about the usurpation of the municipalities of Mardin, Batman and Halfeti and the appointment of trustees in the place of the democratically elected mayors, the Kurdish Women's Movement in Europe (TJK-E) said the following:

“The fascist Turkish government, an enemy of women and people, is trying to secure its fascist power by appointing trustees to the municipalities that were won by peoples in democratic elections. It is trying to legitimise its insistence on sexist, nationalist and fascist policies by appointing trustees to Mardin, Batman and Halfeti municipalities after Istanbul’s Esenyurt municipality.

Kneeling in the face of its own Collapse Plan, the special war government, with bankrupt politics, is helpless in the face of the economic and social crisis. It responded to the peoples' demands for peace and freedom with a false mask and showed its true colours in a very short time!

It has once again become clear that the latest discourses, far from an honourable solution and sincere intentions of peace, are a new attack concept against the resistance and freedom demands of the peoples!

The new 3-month disciplinary punishment given to Leader Abdullah Öcalan and the trustee policies have revealed that the concept of liquidating the freedom struggles of women and the peoples of Kurdistan is sought to be put into action in a new way.

A government that does not recognise the will of the people cannot solve the problems of society and ensure an honourable peace.

The trustee appointed to the municipality of Batman, which won the highest rate of votes in Turkey, is not independent of the misogynist and sexist policies of the fascist government.

It is mostly our responsibility as women to resist without being influenced by the special war, and to enhance the resistance by claiming our will.

On this basis, we call on women, young people, our patriotic people and all democratic segments to go into action all over Europe with the spirit of resistance that emerged in the trustee attempt in Van, and to increase the struggle and resistance.

Berxwedan Jiyan e! (Resistance is life)”