Peaceful Newroz celebration in central Anatolian city Kırşehir defies ‘Collapse Plan’

Newroz, the Kurdish New Year, was celebrated peacefully in central Anatolian city Kırşehir on Thursday, 27 March, for the first time in ten years, defying attempts by the local governor’s office to block the event and a long history of state-imposed restrictions. Citizens in this central Anatolian city gathered in large numbers to mark the traditional arrival of spring, expressing support for peace and democratic reforms in Turkey despite intense anti-Kurdish measures over the years.

The event faced resistance from the authorities, forcing organisers to relocate to a remote area of the city. Participants, including politicians from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, used the occasion to back a peace initiative originally proposed by the imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. Demet Resuloğlu, a former co-chair of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in Kırşehir, stated that the Kurdish community—many forcefully displaced to the region decades ago—remains committed to preserving its identity and fostering peace.

Resuloğlu also addressed the ongoing isolation of Öcalan, arguing that it undermines hopes for reconciliation. “His peace call matters to all Turkey’s peoples, yet the isolation persists,” she explained, urging parliament to legalise peace talks. Kırşehir, a city of 250,000, hosts several high-security prisons, where she claimed detained women and long-term prisoners face pressure to express regret.

Yüksel Han, a former co-chair of HDP, voiced optimism despite the challenges. “We wait for peace with hope—women, children, and youth together,” he said. Selma Çal, a local woman attending, added that she hopes future Newroz events draw even larger crowds and spread peace globally. The celebration underscored the significant role of Kurdish women in advocating for change, a point Resuloğlu praised as vital to the struggle.

The ‘Collapse Plan‘ is an alleged covert counter-insurgency strategy reportedly developed around 2014 by Turkey’s state security apparatus. Specifically, it is said to have been prepared by the General Staff’s Strategy Planning Department, with involvement from the Public Security Undersecretariat.

The document outlines measures to suppress political dissent and curb the influence of Kurdish political organisations, such as the HDP and DEM Party. It calls for security forces to bypass normal legal constraints during internal crises, utilising overwhelming force and extrajudicial actions under emergency provisions. Additionally, the plan advocates for tight control over local government and media, involving the systematic replacement of elected officials through the trustee policy—initially implemented in Kurdish-majority regions but now extending to areas like Esenyurt, Şişli and Istanbul—while also imposing restrictions on independent journalism.

In essence, the plan represents an attempt to create a state of exception, where constitutional rights are suspended in favour of maintaining state control and quelling dissent. Altan Sancar and other commentators now assert that a similar collapse plan has been actively deployed against the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), targeting its municipalities, provincial congress, and general congress with the explicit intent to politically liquidate the party rather than merely reshape its influence.