Speaking at the 3rd Annual Kurdish Conference in London on Thursday, Irish Sinn Féin MP Francie Molloy drew comparisons between Irish republican Bobby Sands and Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan, stressing their shared characteristics of resistance.
During the conference, which also coincided with the 25th anniversary of what the Kurdish community terms as “the international conspiracy”, i.e. the capture and delivery of Öcalan to the Turkish state, Molloy asserted that just as the UK feared Sands, the Turkish state fears Öcalan’s ideas and resistance, leading to his ongoing isolation. “Öcalan has been imprisoned for 25 years, yet his ideas remain free. We must show solidarity with Kurdish political prisoners,” Molloy stated.
The conference, organised as part of the “Freedom for Ocalan, Political Solution to the Kurdish Question” initiative, called for action amidst concerns over Öcalan’s prolonged isolation and the Kurdish political situation. The preparatory committee, represented by Agit Amara of the British Kurdish People’s Assembly, urged Kurds and allies in the UK to engage in discussions based on Öcalan’s ‘democratic nation’ and women’s liberation ideology, aligning with the spirit of the recent initiative.
Agit Amara highlighted the 25-year isolation of Öcalan and the ongoing policies of isolation and ‘genocide’ against the Kurdish people, emphasising the need for a political solution.
The conference, held at SOAS University in London, featured a diverse range of speakers, including Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Diyarbakır (Amed) MP Cengiz Çandar, former Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) MP Feleknas Uca, Labour Party MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Lord Maurice Glasman, lawyer Mazlum Dinç from Asrin Law Office, Dr. Abdulkarim Omar from the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), and Simon Dubbins from Unite the Union.
The event marks the beginning of a four-day national mobilisation campaign in the UK, including a youth-led march on 16-17 February and a central London march on 18 February.
