Our Interviews

march 27, 2021

By sentencing the HDP parliamentarian Faruk Gergerlioglu to prison and trying to close down the HDP the Turkish state has recently increased its attacks on the HDP. What is the goal of these attacks?

Faruk Gergerlioglu is a religious person. That is why he has not only protected religious values but the people as a whole. He has stood against oppression, torture and violence and has exposed such cases. That is why they have declared him a target. Faruk Gergerlioglu really deserves a lot of respect. He has refused to accept oppression and torture. Instead he has talked openly about these issues. He was threatened but did not take a single step back. He has lived up to his responsibility both for his religious belief and human values and has thus served the people. Morals and conscience are the basis of every religious belief. Faruk Gergerlioglu has protected morals and conscience. He has also taken a clear stance against the oppression of the Kurdish people. He has protested against the injustice towards democrats and socialists and against the torture and imprisonment they are subjected to. That is why he has become a target. By attacking Faruk Gergerlioglu they wanted to frighten everybody who takes responsibility for the peoples and for the forces of democracy and freedom. They wanted to force everybody to capitulate who protects conscience and morality. That is why they attacked Faruk Gergerlioglu. But they have failed to achieve their desired results.

Additionally, they have decided to close down the HDP. They are planning to impose a 5-year-long ban of political activities on around 700 HDP members. They want to introduce measures to hinder the HDP from registering new members. And they are planning to completely cut off all state funds for the HDP. Thus, they want to achieve their goals as soon as possible. Why? Because the HDP does not only represent the Kurds but all peoples in Turkey. It represents the friendship of the peoples, their peaceful coexistence and their freedom and democracy. But the AKP-MHP government is against democracy, the peoples and their friendship. It constantly seeks to divide society, force everybody to capitulate and to serve the AKP-MHP government. They create false accusation for them, imprison, torture and insult them. The HDP represents all those in Turkey who resist against the AKP-MHP fascism. It represents the democratic forces of Turkey. The HDP refuses to bow its head to the AKP-MHP. That is why they want to close down this party. Their goal is to scare all peoples of Turkey, the forces of democracy and freedom and all those who resist against them. Thus, they want to force them all to capitulate. So that there won`t be any opposition left. By doing so they want to be able to maintain their power without having to deal with any complications. That is why they are trying to close down the HDP.

Yet, the HDP has refused to give in. It has said very clearly: `We represent a tradition and we will keep this tradition alive. We represent the third way and we will continue this policy. We will insist on our policy.` The people have also shown strong support for the HDP. Why? Because the peoples of Kurdistan accept and protect those democratic forces that serve the interests of the people. That is the reason for the strong support of the people for the HDP. They have realized that the HDP is the only force that resists against the AKP-MHP fascism. The closing down of this party would not only mean the capitulation of the Kurds but of all peoples in Turkey because it represents all peoples and democratic forces in Turkey. Therefore, the people refuse to accept the closing down of the HDP.

Especially the Kurdish people protect those who serve the people`s interests. This is why they support our leader Abdullah Öcalan and the HDP. When the AKP-MHP took measures against Gergerlioglu and the HDP, the Kurdish people and the forces of democracy and freedom got very angry and decided to respond swiftly. The strong participation during this year`s Newroz and the clear signs of support for the HDP, our leader Abdullah Öcalan and democracy are a direct result of the recent measures the AKP-MHP government has taken. Especially the Kurdish people and the forces of democracy, freedom and socialism know the character of the AKP-MHP and the Turkish state very well. That is why they also understand very well the meaning of their actions. Therefore, the Kurdish people and the democratic forces became very angry and reacted promptly. That became very clear during this year`s Newroz.

So why do they want to close down the HDP? Because they pursue a policy of annihilation against the Kurds. They think that if they close down the HDP they will be able to achieve results regarding their genocidal policy against the Kurds. They assume that in this case they will be able to secure their power. But this is where they are making a big mistake. They are deceiving themselves. The HDP is not just a party of the Kurds. It is a party of all of Turkey. It represents all peoples in Turkey, all forces of democracy and freedom and everybody who is against fascism. Of course, Kurds are part of the HDP and do politics in this context. But Kurds don`t only do politics in the context of the HDP. They have many more arenas where they do politics and wage their struggle. The Kurds are not only organized in the arena of legal politics so that they are forces to give up when this arena is closed down. They lead a guerrilla struggle, a social struggle, an ideological struggle, a media struggle, a propaganda struggle etc. If this hadn`t been the case they would have been forced to capitulate a long time ago. If what they assume was true and the Kurds only lead a struggle in the arena of democratic politics, the AKP-MHP might have been able to achieve its goals. But before the HDP many other parties had been closed down. Did they achieve their goals by closing them down? No. With every party they closed down the struggle of the Kurdish people grew stronger. That is a fact.

They obviously don`t want to draw conclusions from history. Why? Because they have turned blind. Their mentality is completely predicated on the Kurdish genocide. Everything they do is based on that. That is why they don`t see the truth. They deceive themselves and insist on a policy that they have been pursuing for years now. It is more than obvious where this policy has lead Turkey. No matter if they really close down the HDP or not, the AKP-MHP government cannot go on. Its end has come. Gare, the women`s movement on March 8 and the impressive Newroz celebrations have made this more than clear. Everybody showed their support for our leader Abdullah Öcalan, the PKK, the guerrilla and HDP. Not only in North Kurdistan. In South Kurdistan, East Kurdistan, Rojava, Europe, Russia, Sinjar, Maxmur and Lavrio – basically everywhere – both Kurds and their friends expressed their support for our leader Abdullah Öcalan, the PKK, guerrilla, HDP and for freedom. Therefore, I would like to congratulate our people in all parts of Kurdistan and beyond, but also the guerrilla. I would like to express my respect for them. In a very important period they have shown very clearly and bravely what their feelings, ideas and goals are. I would like to thank them all.

A few days ago Erdogan basically over night decided that Turkey would leave the Istanbul Convention. Why did he do that?

Who wanted the Istanbul Convention to be signed in Istanbul? It was Erdogan himself and Turkey who wanted this treaty to be signed there. That is why it was signed in Istanbul and was given the name `Istanbul Convention`. Why did Erdogan want this to happen there? Erdogan has a goal. He wants to deceive everybody in Turkey and the whole international community. He wants to portray himself as a democrat so that he can establish his power in Turkey just the way he wishes to. Together with the MHP he is building a fascist system. How can he do that? By deceiving everybody and by presenting himself in a completely different way. That is why he wanted the treaty to be signed in Istanbul. He did not really want democracy and freedom. He did not really want a new approach to women and an end of the oppression of women. That was not his intention.

If you look closely you can see that Erdogan always does the exact opposite of what he says. Today, everybody has understood that. In the past, everybody had thought that he would do what he says. That is why everybody supported him. But over time everybody has seen that there is a huge gap between what he says and what he does. That is why nobody trusts him any more. Consequently, Erdogan finds himself more and more pushed into a corner both inside and outside of Turkey.

Recently, he suffered a huge blow in Gare. This defeat has shown everybody that Turkey is not able to just do whatever it likes. Gare has caught everybody`s attention. After that, the women`s movement took a huge initiative on March 8 which was like an earthquake. Then, huge Newroz celebrations took place and underlined the willpower of the Kurdish people. Thus, the policy connected to the `Submission Plan` [plan developed by Turkey in late 2014 to crush the resistance of the Kurdish people and PKK] has suffered a huge blow. And so a new era has begun. It has become clear that the policy of the AKP-MHP has failed.

So what is Erdogan going to do now? Well, he has begun to talk about making economic reforms and improving human rights. Because this was not enough he eventually announced to start working on a new constitution for Turkey. This will be a constitution especially designed for the AKP-MHP. Noting else. Because everything that Erdogan has done until now was against the Turkish institution and laws. It was against international law. Everybody knows that. That is why he wants to legitimize his deeds by introducing a new constitution. An AKP-MHP constitution. That is what he wants. He wants to use the talk about reforms and a new constitution to deceive everybody. So that he can get the support he used to get and finish the Kurdish genocide. That is his single most important goal.

The women`s movement represents a huge threat to them and seriously threatens the basis of their power. They have seen that if things continue like that the women`s movement will bring about their end. They want to prevent this and are very afraid that the women`s movement might topple them. Because the women`s movement, the guerrilla and Newroz have become one and have started a new era. In this era, the women`s movement will become even stronger. It will bring an end to the AKP-MHP government. Because they see that and are afraid of it, they have taken the initiative against women with their latest decision basically in the middle of the night. When did they do that? During Newroz. So their decision is a response to both Newroz and the women`s movement. Why? Because of the character of Erdogan, Bahceli and the Turkish state. State power – especially the power of the AKP-MHP government – is based on the hegemony of male mentality. On this basis they promote fascism in Turkey. Now, they want to introduce the necessary constitution for this. So that they can maintain their power. The power of Erdogan and Bahceli is based on male hegemony. Fascism itself also requires the existence of power. That is why Erdogan and Bahceli seek power for themselves. And power means male hegemony. So what is necessary to achieve this now? An offensive against women. The Istanbul Convention had provided some opportunities for women. In order to destroy these opportunities they have now declared that Turkey will leave the Istanbul Convention. So that women are deprived of all their opportunities and once again become slaves. This would allow Erdogan and Bahceli to maintain their power and their male hegemony.

Of course, the women don`t accept this. It is impossible for them to accept this decision. And it is really important for them not to accept it. Therefore, women have now started to go on the offensive. We absolutely support this. This is the right of all women. Today, woman have woken up and have developed their own knowledge. Especially our leader Abdullah Öcalan has created a theory, philosophy and ideology for women. He was the first to do so. This has made women strong. Finally women have come to know themselves and now take responsibility for themselves. Nobody will be able to stop this. If women take their place in the women`s movement nobody will be able to stop them. The women`s movement constantly evolves. It never suffers defeat. It will continue to grow and shake the world. As a response to Erdogan`s decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention not only Kurdish and socialist women will resist. Many other women – even women within the AKP – will resist against this decision. Thus, the women`s movement will grow even stronger.

Another important point is this: Erdogan and Bahceli don`t have the right to take decisions on behalf of women. Men in general don`t have this right. Only women themselves can take decisions on behalf of women. If there are new decisions to be made this is up to women themselves. And if current measures regarding women need to be changed this is also up to women. It is neither the task of men, nor of state authorities. And it is not the task of Erdogan and Bahceli. Therefore, it is absolutely right to resist against this decision that Erdogan took all by himself in the middle of the night. We absolutely support these protests.

Rojava is playing a leading role in the protests for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan. How do you explain that?

The philosophy, ideology and paradigm of our leader Abdullah Öcalan leads to change wherever it is. It changes both women and men. It changes society as a whole. The proof of that is Rojava. On March 8, men also took to the streets [in Kobane]. This is proof of a very important change. Is that enough? Of course not. It needs to be pushed even further. And I am sure this will happen in the future. During his time in Syria, our leader Abdullah Öcalan did a lot for the people of Rojava. He educated society – especially women – and thus gave them knowledge and willpower. Because of everything he has done for the society there and because of the willpower he gave society and women, the Rojava revolution took place. Without all the efforts of our leader Abdullah Öcalan the Rojava revolution would not have happened. Both our people in Rojava and especially the women there know this very well. The women have come to know themselves through the struggle of our leader Abdullah Öcalan. They got on their feet, started to struggle for themselves and developed their own willpower. That is why the society and especially the women of Rojava support our leader Abdullah Öcalan. Why don`t they show this kind of support for somebody else? They support him because he has worked hard for them.

Another reason for their support is the fact that the fascist Turkish state has occupied a lot of land in Rojava: Afrin, Serekaniye, Gire Spi. And now it wants to occupy Ayn Isa. Bab and Cerablus have also been occupied by the Turkish state. The occupation has caused a lot of anger in Rojava`s society. They have realized that the Turkish state is the biggest enemy of the Kurds. They see this every day with their own eyes and experience it in their own lives. They see the insults of the Turkish state in the areas he has occupied. They have realized that the society and especially women are in great danger if they don`t resist against this state and don`t throw it out of their land. That is why they are so angry at the Turkish state. Why have they become so angry? Because our leader Abdullah Öcalan has given them knowledge and willpower. That is one of the reasons why they are supporting him today. Our people in Rojava have also realized that certain states want to separate the society of Rojava – especially the Kurdish women – from our leader Abdullah Öcalan. They are very angry about that and clearly reject it. That is why they are standing up for our leader Abdullah Öcalan. That is why on March 8 and on Newroz the society of Rojava – especially the women of Rojava – showed their support for our leader Abdullah Öcalan, for the PKK and PAJK.

This did not only happen in Rojava, but also in Europe, North Kurdistan, Turkey, South Kurdistan and many more places. Which sections of society were mostly present during this year`s Newroz celebrations? Kurdish women, girls and young men. Why? Because our leader Abdullah Öcalan has done historic work for the youth and women. He has turned them into the leading forces of the struggle for democracy and freedom. Thus he has given them a historic role. Because of everything they have achieved thanks to our leader Abdullah Öcalan, the majority of those who joined the Newroz celebrations were the youth and women. Everywhere they resolutely demanded the physical freedom of our leader Abdullah Öcalan. They insisted on their demand. And they did so in front of the occupiers. They voiced their demands with great determination, bravery and excitement. Therefore, I would like to congratulate the youth and women. I would like to send them my greetings and express my respect for them.

While in all of Kurdistan and beyond the people celebrated Newroz, KDP forces attacked a camp of the guerrilla with heavy weaponry. Why did the KDP decide to carry out such an attack on Newroz day?

What did our people in all four parts of Kurdistan and beyond and the friends of our people clearly demand on this year`s Newroz? National unity. They expected everybody to respond to their demand and take the necessary steps. Our people have become united. Now, this unity needs to become a reality in Kurdish politics as well. In the past, some initiatives were taken for national unity in Kurdish politics. But on this year`s Newroz our people and our friends called on those who have not yet taken steps in this direction to do it now. They especially called on the KDP to do so. In many different places they explicitly mentioned the KDP. Everybody called on this party to hear the demands of our people and our friends and act accordingly. But on Newroz day KDP forces attacked one of our camps in the region Berde Sore [South Kurdistan]. In order to prevent a war, our hevals in this camp did not fire back and decided to retreat. On Newroz, our people demanded national unity. They demanded a solution to the existing problems. But exactly on that day, the KDP forces attacked one of our camps! And they did so with Turkish fighter jets hovering over them for their support. This is against the spirit of Newroz.

Because our hevals there realized that what the KDP was doing was against the spirit of Newroz, they decided to act according to the Newroz spirit. Therefore, they decided to protect the national unity so that the existing problems don`t get even bigger and everybody focusses on solving them instead. That is why our hevals did not to shoot back. They could have easily taken a different decision as it was their right to defend themselves. The KDP used heavy weaponry and the support of Turkish drones and fighter jets for its attack on our hevals. It is our heval`s right to defend themselves until the end. This would have led to war and would have made the existing problems even bigger. Then again, there were the demands of our people and their friends. This is what our hevals based their decision on that day. Not on the goal of the KDP. We had not thought it possible for the KDP to do something like that. We had hoped something like that wouldn`t happen. Especially on the day of Newroz.

Something like that shouldn`t happen on Newroz or on any other day. Why? Because certain people are working to establish a dialogue between us and the KDP. Some meetings have taken place, too. In order to prevent these meetings and dialogues from failing and in order to put the demands of our people into practice, our hevals did not fight back when they were attacked on Newroz day. They retreated from their position instead. And the KDP forces came and took up position there under the protection of the Turkish planes hovering over them. We don`t know whether this was a decision of the party centre or a local decision. But we really want to understand what happened there. Why did they attack on Newroz day? Why did they attack when a dialogue is taking place. We want to understand what goal lies behind this attack. On this basis we are still gathering information so that we can understand what really happened. Was this decision taken by the party centre or was it local? Did one of their local commanders take the decision to attack? This is what we want to understand.

As part of the KCK campaign `Time to Ensure Freedom` hunger strikes have been going on for four months now. How do you evaluate these protests?

First of all, I would like to greet all those on hunger strike in the prisons [in Turkey], in Maxmur [South Kurdistan] and in Lavrio [Greece]. I would like to congratulate them and express my respect for them. Their work is very important. Yet, it is important for everybody to know that the focus of the protests needs to be outside the prisons. A few months ago we started our campaign `Time to Ensure Freedom`. This campaign should not primarily be shouldered by the prisons. It needs to mainly take shape outside – in all four parts of Kurdistan and beyond – in many creative ways. The prisons can support the protests outside. But it would be wrong for the prisons to mainly shoulder the protests and for actions outside to simply support the prisons. Therefore, the responsibility the prisons have shouldered so far needs to be taken over by the protests outside of prison. Thus, the weight on the shoulders of all those in prison needs to become lighter. This is the right thing to do. We call on everybody to do exactly that.

The prisons have their own tradition of resistance which they are keeping alive today. They have always lived up to their role. They are a part of our struggle. As much as we lead our struggle outside, we also do so in the prisons themselves. Everybody knows that the prisons are an integral part of our struggle. This is the reality of the resistance in the prisons. The foundation of this tradition goes back all the way to June 14 [1982]. Gare is the latest example of the continuation of this tradition. What defines it? Putting the spirit and methods of our leader Abdullah Öcalan into practice. It means to struggle and to achieve results even under the most difficult circumstances and despite a lack of resources. That is what defines this tradition. It started with Mazlum, Xeyri and Kemal and has continued until today. Why? Because with their actions Mazlum, Kemal, Xeyri, Akif and the other hevals have basically given an order to the prisons. All the hevals who are imprisoned today are following this order. They are keeping the spirit alive that those hevals created in 1982. They consider this spirit an order and follow it today.

So in the prisons this very strong tradition exists and being kept alive. It will always be like that. But we need to avoid putting too much of a burden on the prisons. It is well known that we have lead a huge struggle in the prisons and have given many very valuable martyrs. Ten of our friends in prison were made martyrs in the most brutal way after the military coup on September 12, 1980. By beating them with wooden and iron sticks and crushing their heads they made them martyrs. But until they fell martyr these friends did not give up their resistance. Their insistence on resistance was the reason why they took revenge on them like that. In 2012 and 2018 very strong protests for the physical freedom of our leader Abdullah Öcalan took place in the prisons as well. The goal was to break the isolation and torture that he has been subjected to.

During the protests both inside and outside of prison in 2018 nine hevals fell martyr. Whenever such strong protests took place the Turkish state was forced to allow meetings with our leader Abdullah Öcalan. Without this pressure the Turkish state would have not allowed any meetings. What does this show? It shows that if you resist you can open every door. Today, protests and resistance are again taking place. And Turkey has obviously experienced problems because of that. So it was once again forced to allow a meeting even though only in form of a very short telephone conversation. When our leader Abdullah Öcalan talked to his brother on the phone he criticized the attitude and policy of the Turkish state. The state reacted by ending the phone call and thus hindered him from speaking. What does this show us? If your resistance is strong they won`t be able to continue their policy regarding our leader Abdullah Öcalan. Therefore, all cadres and activists of this movement need to predicate themselves on the way our people demanded the physical freedom of our leader Abdullah Öcalan on Newroz and on how they said that they wouldn`t accept anything else. On this basis they need to intensify the struggle everywhere. This is the right thing to do.

For 36 years your movement has been celebrating the `Week of Heroes` from March 21 until March 28. What is the importance of this week in this year?

The PKK and the Kurdish people are a party and a people of heroes. This heroism was created by our leader Abdullah Öcalan. The heroism of the PKK and the Kurdish people developed based on a culture of militancy that includes self-sacrifice. Historically speaking nobody has ever been able to defeat heroes or crush their willpower. Therefore, whatever the Turkish state and the Kurdish traitors do and no matter how much the system of Capitalist Modernity supports them and fights against the PKK and the Kurdish people – they won`t be able to stop the heroism of the the Kurdish people, the PKK and its guerrilla. Because the heroism that our leader Abdullah Öcalan has created is completely based on self-sacrifice. It means that you only serve freedom. It means to accept no way of life apart from a free life. It means to give everything you have to serve a life in freedom. This is what it is based on. That is why nobody is able to stop or defeat it. They have used all their power and resources to try to stop it. But they have failed. In fact, our movement has become even stronger and our people are resisting even more.

This year`s Newroz has shown this very clearly. If a people does not create its own heroes, does not protect them and keep them alive, it won`t be able to exist as a people. Through the militants of the PKK our leader Abdullah Öcalan has created the heroes of the Kurdish people. He has created huge values. That is also why heroism has become a characteristic of the Kurdish people. For this reason the Kurdish people does not let go of our leader Abdullah Öcalan, the PKK and freedom despite all the pressure, oppression, imprisonments, torture, insults, looting and rape. On this year`s Newroz the Kurdish people have said very clearly: `Whatever you do you won`t be able to crush our willpower. We will live in freedom with our leader Abdullah Öcalan and based on our own values.`

Every militant of this movement has done heroic things. There might be some among them who have become symbols, e.g. Mahsum, Mazlum, Zilan and others. But they are not the only heroes of the Kurdish people. There are thousands of heroes. Not one of them has asked for or done anything for themselves. Whatever they did, they did it for the Kurdish people, all other peoples and humanity. They have put their lives at their service and fell martyr for this cause. That is why this movement has constantly grown and has reached today. It has become a source of hope for everybody. The strength of this movement lies in this kind of militancy. Nobody is able to stop these militants. The PKK and the Kurdish people are following the path of all their heroes and will continue their march towards freedom until the end. Everybody who is still making wrong plans concerning this movement needs to refrain from doing so. There is not a single force that is strong enough to stand against the PKK and the Kurdish people. The AKP-MHP, Kurdish traitors and the system of Capitalist Modernity have done everything possible in order to crush the PKK and annihilate the Kurdish people. But they have seen the result in Gare, on March 8 and on this year`s Newroz. It is important for everybody to draw the necessary conclusions from these developments.

What is the meaning and importance of Abdullah Öcalan`s birthday on April 4?

The birthday of our leader Abdullah Öcalan [on April 4] is the birthday of all of us. It is the birthday of all peoples and of humanity. This is how everybody should understand his birthday. One should not just consider it the birthday of any person that we celebrate and then simply go on. It is the birthday of a nation, of a people and of humanity. The birthday of our leader Abdullah Öcalan has allowed our people to come to life again and rebuild itself. Our people has continued to do so until today. And it will continue to do so in the future. Therefore, this day needs to be a day of struggle and of increasing the struggle. It needs to be a day of achieving the physical freedom of our leader Abdullah Öcalan.

Nobody should say: `In Gare, on March 8 and on Newroz we have taken historic steps. We have started a new era. All that is enough.` Nobody should deceive themselves. Yes, we have started a new era and dealt a new blow to the genocide policy. We have increased our opportunities for freedom. But we have done all this so that we can take even bigger steps on this basis. This is what we are expected to do. Which offensive do we need to increase now? Putting the campaign of our movement `Time to Ensure Freedom` into practice which means achieving the physical freedom of our leader Abdullah Öcalan. This is what we need to fight for. Any other attitude concerning the birthday of our leader Abdullah Öcalan would be wrong.

Emine Şenyaşar and her son have started a protest in the city of Pirsûs (Suruç) against injustice. A few years ago three of their family members had been killed by AKP members. What is your take on the protest of mother Emine?

They shortly arrested mother Emine and then released her again in order to break her willpower and make her stop her protest. It is not only the family of mother Emine Şenyaşar that has had three of its member killed. Three members of the family of Dilan Izol were also killed and others wounded. Who are the murderers of the members of these two families? AKP members of parliament. That is the case both in Siverek and Suruç. Those who have carried out these massacres in both families are the AKP MP of Siverek and the AKP MP of Urfa. These two massacres happened in these two families. And now they are protesting and demanding justice. They are leading a struggle against injustice and are making it clear that without justice life is impossible.

Because of the lack of justice in Turkey today the AKP-MHP can do whatever they want to individuals, peoples, religions and cultures. Both MPs who carried out these massacres were later promoted to the AKP leadership. They have basically awarded them for what they have done. So instead of arresting them, taking them to court and imprisoning them, they were awarded with a place in the AKP leadership after these massacres. What does this show? Their treatment of these two families is a clear sign of their hostility towards all Kurds. This is how we need to understand this matter. They didn`t just kill some random people in some random families. It would be wrong to look at it that way. The way they treat these two families is part of their deliberate policy against the Kurdish people. They want to frighten everybody. Their message to everybody is this: `We will kill everybody who does not serve us, who resists against us or dares to criticize us. Everybody needs to bow their heads and serve us.` They want to frighten the whole Kurdish people and thus force it to capitulate.

That is why the protest of mother Emine and her son is very important. It is not only their own protest but the protest of all Kurdish people. It is important that all Kurds and their friends don`t leave this family and the family of Dilan Izol alone. They need to support them. All democrats and supporters of freedom, all those who are against fascism and demand justice need to do the same. Supporting them means supporting yourself. It means supporting justice, freedom and democracy. It means taking a stance against massacres and annihilation. Therefore, I would like to congratulate mother Emine and her son, but also Dilan Izol on their protest. I would like to greet them and express my respect for them. And I would like to say to them: `What you are doing is very important. We support you. The whole Kurdish people, all forces of democracy and freedom and everybody who is against fascism needs to support you.`

On this basis, I would like to once again congratulate our people in all four parts of Kurdistan and beyond, the guerrilla, all those who have joined the hunger strike in the prisons, all friends of the Kurds and humanity. I would like to congratulate especially the guerrilla – the guerrilla of Gare and the heroes there – on the `Week of Heroes`. The heroism of Gare represents the heroism of the PKK, the Kurdish people and of humanity. In Gare, this heroism was once more put into practice. Thus, a new page for all of humanity has been opened. Therefore, I would like to once again congratulate them on their heroic actions.