Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party began campaigning in Australia on Saturday with an event in Sydney that gathered a large number of resident Turkish nationals.
Turkey’s People’s Democratic Party (HDP) fielded candidates under the Green Left Party banner to circumvent a possible closure ahead of 14 May polls.
The party’s co-spokesperson, Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar, joined the event in Sydney via video. She called the 14 May polls a “critical election”, in particular for Kurds and other minorities in Turkey who for many decades had suffered persecution, discrimination and exclusion.
Sydney Green Left Party representative Kenan Bircan, Reverend Bill Crews, Peter Boyle from Socialist Alliance and Claudia Taranto from PEN Sydney were present at the Sydney event, while Australian Greens Senator David Shoebridge joined via video link.
“The Green Left Party. It is an excellent name for a progressive party in the 21st century. It is an excellent name for any party that stands for the common good of the ordinary people and for the future for everybody,” Boyle said in his speech during the event.
“We wish the Green Left Party and all democratic forces in Turkey that are coming and uniting behind it every success,” he said.
