The Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party will hold peace rallies in Diyarbakır (Amed), İzmir, and Van (Wan) on 1 September to mark World Peace Day. The announcement was made during a press conference at the party’s provincial headquarters in Diyarbakır on Tuesday.
Gülşen Özer, co-chair of the DEM Party’s Diyarbakır branch, highlighted the decade-long conflicts in the Middle East, stressing the urgent need for peace and stability. “All peoples in this region need peace and tranquillity,” Özer said, emphasising the importance of solidarity during the rallies. “We will join hands in a dance of peace,” she added.
Mehmet Şirin Gürbüz, co-chair of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) in Diyarbakır, underscored the necessity of resolving the Kurdish issue through peaceful means. “The solution to the Kurdish question lies in an honourable peace,” Gürbüz asserted. He called for unity against war and advocated for dialogue with Abdullah Öcalan as a crucial step towards social harmony.
Serhat Eren, a DEM Party MP from Diyarbakır, addressed the ongoing preparations for the rallies, highlighting the escalating injustices across Turkey. “Injustices in Turkey are pervasive, fuelling a cycle of violence and exacerbating social, political, economic, and judicial crises,” Eren said. He warned that democratic values are being steadily eroded.
Eren also highlighted the recent increase in attacks on the Kurdish language and culture. “There is no doubt that the attacks on the Rojava region are directly linked to those of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). These attacks on the unity, language and music of the people are absolutely unacceptable,” he said.
The DEM Party MP called for mass participation in the 1 September rallies and urged the Kurdish community and the wider public to stand up against war and injustice. “We believe that all our people should be in the squares on 1 September and stand against these attacks on Kurdish identity. We must be present in the squares with our traditional dances and chants to protect our identity and values. We call on all civil society organisations to take a strong stand for peace and raise their voices against injustice,” he concluded.
The rallies in Diyarbakır, İzmir, and Van are expected to draw large crowds as the DEM Party calls on civil society organisations and the wider public to stand united against war and the erosion of democratic rights.
