In a statement issued for the 40th anniversary of the launch of the armed struggle by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) against the Turkish state, the European Kurdish Democratic Societies Congress (KCDK-E) noted that the armed struggle of 15 August 1984, considered to be a milestone in the Kurdish freedom movement, was a crucial turning point in the existential struggle of the Kurds. The statement said: “For 40 years, we have been turning annihilation into existence through a relentless struggle against the genocidal Turkish state. We celebrate the historical and honourable Kurdish freedom struggle.”
The statement went on to say that the launch of the struggle on 15 August has advanced the existence and freedom of the Kurdish people, and that the gains made during this period have gone down in history as “one of humanity’s most honourable examples of resistance”. It went on to say: “No tear or sacrifice has been in vain, as this struggle continues to inspire the oppressed peoples of the world and humanity as a whole”.
“The freedom fighters and our dedicated people who have gathered around our leader Apo, together with the peoples of the world, have made this struggle a beacon of hope for the liberation of humanity,” it said, referring to Abdullah Öcalan, considered to be the leader of the Kurdish movement.
As they entered the 41st year since the launch of freedom movement the KCDK-E also remembered the martyrs to the cause and pledged their continued commitment to the struggle. “The immortal heroes Agit and Zilan are symbols of our thousands of martyrs. As we enter the 41st year of the initiative, we vow to liberate our leader Apo, and Kurdistan, and to continue the great march to victory with fresh strides,” the statement said.
They called on the Kurdish people to unite still more strongly against Turkey’s anti-Kurdish policies. “Our people have paid a high price against the colonialist states and the genocidal Turkish Republic”, they said, adding that under Öcalan’s paradigm, the Kurdish people have “reached a point of becoming an alternative global power”.
They called on the Kurdish people to unite around “leader Apo” on this 40th anniversary, and to continue to resist and mobilise against what it called Turkey’s “fascist” Justice and Welfare Party (AKP) / National Movement Party (MHP) coalition government. “The Kurdish people, united around the freedom fighters, will heroically resist the genocidal attacks aimed at occupation and annexation, and will not take one step back from the struggle for the liberation of Kurdistan,” they said.
The statement concluded: “Let us thwart the occupation and annexation plans of the genocidal Turkish state in the four parts of Kurdistan by standing more firmly with leader Apo and the freedom struggle, together with the hundreds of thousands of Kurds and their allies around Europe and the world.”
