Tayyip Temel, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP’s) MP for Van (Wan) and the vice-chair of the HDP, shared his views on the upcoming Newroz events that are expected to be held in 31 cities across Turkey this month. The central Newroz event will be organised in the Kurdish-majority province of Diyarbakır (Amed) on 21 March.
The HDP MP called on the Kurdish people and the international friends of the Kurdish freedom struggle to take to the streets for the celebrations.
“Newroz 2021 coincides with an historical and critical period for the Kurdish people”, said Temel. “The sovereign powers denying the existence of the Kurdish people are on the attack. Meanwhile, the status of the Kurds throughout the four parts of Kurdistan is a major topic of discussion. Therefore Newroz will be a significant meeting where Kurds can give voice to their political demands at the highest level”.
Temel also recalled the peace declaration of Abdullah Öcalan, which was shared with the public during the Newroz celebrations of 2013.
“The response of the Turkish state to that peace declaration was war and isolation”, he said. “This destruction plan keeps society in a breathless state. Newroz is a call to break the isolation. It is a multi-dimensional resistance”.
Temel added that the Newroz celebrations have become a symbol of resistance for the Kurdish people, and therefore all Kurds and their international allies should participate in the upcoming events, while taking the necessary precautions against the Covid-19 pandemic.