Kurds in Turkey are responding to a recent wave of arrests connected to allegations of “terror propaganda” for dancing to Kurdish music. In cities such as Istanbul, Ağrı (Agirî), Siirt (Sêrt) and Mersin, young people have been detained on charges of “terrorist propaganda” merely for dancing to Kurdish music. Reports indicate that detainees were forced to listen to Turkish nationalist songs while in custody, which has further fuelled public indignation.
In response to these arrests, citizens have organised demonstrations in various cities, performing the Kurdish dance the govend to show solidarity with the detainees. The protests aim to express condemnation for the government’s actions and highlight the importance of cultural freedom. Large crowds gathered to dance the govend and chant slogans promoting peace and unity in the Kurdish-majority cities of Şanlıurfa (Riha), Diyarbakır (Amed) and Van (Wan).
Social media has been abuzz with reactions to these events. Many users have criticised the government for infringing on cultural expression and the freedom of speech. Videos of Kurdish music and dance have been widely shared as a form of defiance against the recent crackdown.
Prominent figures, including human rights defenders, MPs and celebrities, have also voiced their support for the detainees, calling for their immediate release and demanding an investigation into allegations of ill-treatment. Leyla Zana, the first Kurdish woman MP in the Turkish parliament, commented, “Don’t push the Kurds beyond their limits! If you think of bringing us all out into the streets and squares with Kurdish songs, drums, zurna (a pipe with a reed like that of an oboe) and our slogans, we are more than willing!”
The co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, Tülay Hatimoğulları, visited Filiz Taşkesen, three of whose children were arrested for dancing the govend, and who herself has been placed under house arrest in the city of Batman (Elih). She remarked, “The policies being applied to the Kurdish people today, such as the imposition of ‘trustees’ [in place of elected mayors] and the infiltration of this mentality into language and music, have been starkly revealed through the recent operations and detentions. People who attended weddings, sang Kurdish music, wore traditional dress and danced the halay [another traditional Kurdish dance] have been declared criminals in Mersin, Ağrı and Siirt. This is a continuation of the ‘trustee’ mentality. We remember when weddings were raided in the 1990s. We know that grooms and brides were detained for performing music in different languages. We lived through days when entire families were detained. What is the deliberate intention behind this mindset which is trying to return us to those days?”
DEM Party MP for Diyarbakır Ceylan Akça remarked, “You detain people who perform the govend to express their culture. Then you make them listen to a song that we all agree is a form of torture, right? We do not accept this hypocrisy.”
Akça’s comment about a “song that we all agree is a form of torture” refers to the song “Ölürüm Türkiyem” (I would die for you, my Turkey). Detainees in Mersin were forced by Turkish police to listen to this song in a police vehicle, and the entire incident was recorded by the officers and shared on social media to fuel nationalist fervour. The police officer who took the footage also recorded each detainee’s face individually, sharing and exposing their faces publicly.
The song “Ölürüm Türkiyem” has a troubling history, particularly in its use as a tool of racist intimidation. For instance, on 2 May 2023, Kurdish street musician Cihan Aymaz was fatally attacked in Istanbul for refusing to play this song, leading to a life sentence for the assailant, Mehmet Caymaz, for racially motivated murder. The song is also known to be used in detention centres and jails to oppress and intimidate dissidents, as reported by various human rights organisations.
The DEM Party also issued a press statement denouncing what they called the ongoing war against Kurdish culture and language and criticised those applauding “this fascism”, warning that it drives society “towards dangerous waters”.
In their written statement, titled “We will not bow down to the political mind identified with the fascism of 12 September”, referring to Turkey’s military coup of 1980, the DEM Party emphasised the organised nature of these attacks. “We have been witnessing a dangerously orchestrated operation to manipulate public perception over the past week. Animosity extending from Kurdish daily and cultural practices to politics is being normalised. Various social media accounts simultaneously criminalise almost every act of young Kurds, from their clothing to their dancing. This racism, legitimised by political forces, deeply divides society,” the statement read.
