On its fifth day, the ‘Great Freedom March’ received an enthusiastic welcome as it made its way through the centre of Turkey’s Kurdish-majority southeastern city of Şırnak (Şirnex), with participants stressing the crucial role of Abdullah Öcalan in solving the Kurdish issue.
The march, which demands freedom for Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and a democratic solution to the Kurdish problem, started on Monday in the Uludere (Qileban) district of Şırnak.
Starting from the cities of Van (Wan) and Kars (Qers) on 1 February, the marchers were warmly welcomed in each place and greeted with chants of “Rewiyên Azadî” (Freedom Marchers).
Despite heavy snowfall, the marchers continued on Sunday from Hakkari (Colemêrg) towards Şırnak (Şirnex), with their last stop for the day at the Roboski cemetery, a place of deep sorrow where 34 people, including 19 children, were killed in a bombing by Turkish warplanes on 28 December 2011.
Here the marchers were greeted by the families of the victims, holding photographs of their lost loved ones. Halime Encü, who lost her child in the massacre, addressed the mothers of Turkish soldiers, calling for an end to the bloodshed and a united call for peace, freedom and unity.
On Monday morning, the marchers moved from Uludere to the city centre, where they were greeted with slogans, and participation of women adding to the vibrancy of the scene.
Saliha Aydeniz, an MP from the People’s Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), echoed the sentiment that Öcalan is seen as representing the political will of millions, and presented him as the solution to the Kurdish question. Aydeniz called on the opposition and the government to recognise that the causes of the current crisis and chaos in the country were the unresolved Kurdish question and policy of isolation.
The event ended with slogans that showed a determined and collective demand for Öcalan’s freedom and a democratic solution to the Kurdish question, against a background of widespread community support and political advocacy.
