"The attitude of the Turkish State on Kurdistan Day is much more brutal than on previous occasions"
- It's Newroz's day, and the streets of the city of Batman are full of cops. Despite the fact that the Turkish Government has banned most acts, the Kurds are dancing to the rhythm of revolutionary music. We sat in the petrol station bar to speak quietly with Becerikli, although we had to interrupt several times when the Turkish police appeared to quell the fire with the tanks. Riots between police and citizens. At the time when the police officers have left, a fire has been repeated.
What is the political strategy of the HDP?
We want to overcome the conflict in a democratic and peaceful manner. We will work to make this happen, we will continue to work for the people to join this activity.
We also reiterate to the Turkish State its willingness to continue along this path. Your strategy of war has led to the destruction of the dialogue tables, but we are not going to give up on the return of dialogue as three years ago, it is not too late for that. Oçalan has to go back to that dialogue table, if he had not been excluded from it, we would not be in the cruel and savage situation in which we find ourselves.
Breaking the peace process and resuming the war strategy is nothing good for the Kurds or for the Turks. All of this responds to a person's fear of losing power.
What is the situation in Kurdistan? How important is Newroz in this context?
Following the elections on 17 June, the AKP, which governs Turkey, changed its strategy against the Kurdish people. The attitude of the State at present is much more brutal than on previous occasions. Faced with this, the Kurdish people, supported by the force of youth, launched themselves into self-defence in the face of aggression. Although all communications are cut, we know that South, Cizre, Nusaybin and Yuksekovan are engaged in self-defence.
For 40 years the Kurdish people continue to defend their rights in the face of all attempts at oppression, by their language, by their identity, by their culture… Newroz is an important day to do and follow that resistance.
Repression is also not in vain.
We must not forget the savage response that he has brought to this people from the Turkish state when he celebrated it in Newro. In 1992, the State murdered over 100 people at the Newroz celebration in Cizrek.
“Oçalan should return to the dialogue table, if he had not been excluded from it, we would not be in this cruel and savage situation today.”
Newroza shows the strength of the Kurdish people and that is why celebration is forbidden, so that this force is not shown. Furthermore, this is not the first time that the State has been banned, just over a month ago Demirtas, co-lehendakari of our party, organised meetings for peace and democracy, which were banned by the State. We also recently called for the public consultation of Demirtas with a demonstration that was also banned. They don't want to let us show our strength, they don't want to leave us on the street to express our unity, they're afraid of us.
This strategy of war responds to the needs and aspirations of a single person, their personal interests overlap with the global political process. This only makes the situation and the solution more difficult.
As far as Europe is concerned, on the one hand there is the silence of the States and of the governments, and on the other there is the solidarity of thousands of citizens. How do you experience the situation?
When in the 1990s the Turkish State committed the massacre against the Kurdish people, the people of Europe came here to gather their testimony and bring it to the Court of Human Rights. Today, however, it is hard to see how they are silent about what is happening. For example, more than 100 people in Ciz have been burned alive, hidden in the basements of their homes, to protect them from attacks by the Turkish Army. European governments remain silent. Tear gas is used every day to mourn the police against the citizens and European governments do not complain. At the moment, for more than 100 days, the citizens are resolutely maintaining the siege to the South, despite the fact that the army and the police are gradually killing it. No one in Europe says a word to denounce the situation.
What has to do with the European Union’s pact with Turkey is the same.
“Over 100 people have been burned alive in Ciz”
Of course it does. Behind all this is the European immigration policy and the dirty business with Turkey. Your attitude serves to protect the situation I have denounced. From here we call on the European authorities to disassociate themselves from this position, otherwise they become accomplices to the massacre of the Turkish Government.
Europe should set in motion its strength, its money and its efforts to end this war. Stop mixing in the war in Syria and put forces on the road to peace. You have to realise that the situation of the Syrian refugees, which for them is so uncomfortable, will be repeated in Turkey. For example, a family that has lost the house of Diyarbakir and is under constant threat will find no place to be in Turkey, so it will have to flee to Europe. Europe’s position only aggravates the situation it says it wants to avoid. They should also join our peace plans and put pressure on the Turkish Government to join them.
What would you say to the European citizens?
Come to witness what is happening, and see here and denounce what has been experienced in your peoples. Help us!
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