The European Kurdish Democratic Societies Congress (KCDK-E) has called for global mobilisation on 1 September, World Peace Day*, to end the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan and address Turkey’s military actions against Kurds and other communities.
The organisation urges international solidarity to confront “wars organised by arms dealers” and challenge Turkey’s government, which it describes as the principal barrier to peace and coexistence in the region.
The KCDK-E’s statement highlights the “despotic and racist” practices of the Turkish state, accusing it of “supporting genocidal wars” against Kurds and other peoples for over a century. “Turkey’s fascist state continues to deny and assimilate various peoples and beliefs and remains the sole obstacle to peace and coexistence,” the statement said. It also criticised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s policies, accusing him of inciting broader conflicts in the region while causing significant environmental destruction and targeting civilians, including journalists, women and children.
The statement condemned the international community’s lack of response to Turkey’s actions, suggesting that “The silence and ambivalence of the European states serve Turkey’s expansionist ambitions.” The KCDK-E called on “democratic institutions, organisations and all sensitive circles” to unite against the growing threat of war and stand up for democracy and the rights of oppressed peoples. “World Peace Day is an opportunity to demand peace and reject war for the sake of the entire world,” it urged, calling for efforts to “break the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan.”
*Despite the decision of the United Nations in 2001 to officially designate 21 September as the International Day of Peace, many Turkish and Kurdish opposition groups, as well as peace activists within Turkey, observe 1 September as “World Peace Day”. This date holds significant historical and symbolic meaning, as it marks the anniversary of the start of World War II on 1 September 1939.
