october 30, 2024
After dozens of months without any sign of life from Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Ocalan, a meeting has now taken place for the first time. What has this achieved? And above all, what will happen now? How do you evaluate the meeting and what Abdullah Ocalan said?
First of all, I greet Rêber Apo1 with respect. Finally, at the end of the 43rd month since there had been no contact with him, there was again a meeting with him, he saw his nephew on October 23.
There is a change, even if partially and not completely, there is a change. We were informed about the health condition of Rêber Apo, and we received his greetings. Even this was already enough to change the atmosphere. Receiving Rêber Apo’s greetings, hearing his voice, and learning about his health affected the whole atmosphere in a different way. All democratic forces, women, youth, our people, and our international friends are full of enthusiasm and excitement. At the same time, it has also strongly affected the political environment. This clearly indicates the level of influence of Rêber Apo. Despite all his opponents’ claims to the contrary, it shows how much influence Rêber Apo has on society, on democratic circles, on women, youth, workers, and laborers, on peoples, and how much influence he has generally on politics. This needs to be underlined once and for all.
This was achieved through struggle. It is a result brought about by a 26-year struggle against this international conspiracy. It is a result of the struggle against the Imrali system of torture, isolation, and genocide. In a narrower sense, it is a result of the global freedom campaign that was launched on October 10, 2023. At the end of its first year, the campaign has taken an important step towards breaking the isolation. Regarding the campaign, we have stated previously that the process is now moving towards getting results. Let’s be hopeful about this. Indeed, this is a start. Struggle yields results; through struggle, achievements are created. This is a fact that can be seen clearly in the current situation.
In this sense, on behalf of our party, I congratulate everyone who participated in the global freedom campaign ‘Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, a Political Solution to the Kurdish Question’, which has recently entered its second year. I salute their struggle. An important phase within this struggle has started and will continue. Our hope, faith, and will must be strengthened therefore.
In one sentence, Rêber Apo has put forward an attitude that will give answers to everyone and open new discussions. This is very important. There were several calls on him, and he responded to them. He said that he has the theoretical and practical power to carry the solution of the Kurdish question to the legal and political arena. On this basis, he refuted those who said that he has no power, that he cannot do anything, that the organization would not listen, that the people would not listen and similar things. He showed his power. Following that our co-presidency, on behalf of our movement and our people, declared that they would support and stand behind every step and every attitude that Rêber Apo would develop.
What did this show? That in this situation the Kurds stand together as a whole and that they are open and ready for all kinds of democratic, political solutions, negotiations, and discussions. This was clearly shown. It silenced those who tried to cause confusion. The real situation is obvious. There are those who listen and follow up on the developments and who understand, but surely there are also those who evaluate the situation and try to put forward attitudes to confuse in order to personally profit. The question is, What is happening now? How can Rêber Apo play his role? There were those who called on Rêber Apo to play a role, and he said he is ready and has the power to do so. But of course, it is necessary to create suitable conditions for this. Of course, this cannot happen in isolation from the world in Imrali. Because active work is necessary. It requires a 24-hour effort. Relations with everyone are necessary. It is necessary to get everyone’s opinion. In this respect, it cannot happen in the system of torture, isolation, and genocide in Imrali. If they really want Rêber Apo to play a role and not just uphold this agenda as part of their special warfare, then they have to create the right conditions. There is no way around this. If they do not create these conditions, it will not inspire confidence.
The current situation does not inspire much confidence and everyone is looking at all the calls that are being made with great skepticism and question where they are coming from. The conditions for Rêber Apo’s health, safety and freedom of work must be ensured. Our co-presidency has pointed this out already.
Rêber Apo needs to be able to meet with everyone, and everyone wants to see him. As leadership of this movement, we of course also want to see him. Otherwise, one person alone cannot do anything but can develop a movement and pioneer society. In this regard, Rêber Apo has determined his stance and revealed his power. Now it is necessary to create the appropriate conditions. Of course, Rêber Apo cannot create this. Those outside of have to do this. The whole public has seen the clear attitude, everyone, all of us. The duty falls on all of us except Rêber Apo. The task of creating these favorable conditions is all ours. It is ours; we must struggle accordingly. This duty also belongs to those who created the Imrali system, those who made the call. So they themselves will have to make changes. They will have to change their existing attitude.
To emphasize it once again. Rêber Apo is the only one who can realize a democratic political solution to the Kurdish question, who can ensure peace in Turkey, and who can lead such a process. Rêber Apo represents the Kurdish people’s will for freedom and democracy. He is the negotiator. No one should obscure the situation with empty words and create confusion. This is the reality on the Kurdish side, and we underline this once again on this occasion.
What did Rêber Apo say? He said the isolation continues. The isolation continues; that is true. The isolation is the 26-year Imrali torture and genocide system. It is the system itself. We need to develop the struggle much stronger and more effective to break the isolation and to ensure the physical freedom of Rêber Apo. This should be a call, an instruction for all of us. If there is isolation and you want change, if you want a solution to develop, if you want Rêber Apo to play a role, then you will have to struggle against this isolation; you will have to develop the struggle further. We have seen once again that this is necessary.
No one should be complacent because there was one meeting with Rêber Apo and he is in good health. The isolation has not been broken. The situation is not normal. Undoubtedly, one must be more sensitive, more careful, and more organized in the way of struggle. The global freedom campaign aiming at the physical freedom of Rêber Apo must spread more widely and effectively everywhere. The struggled must be strengthened. There must never be any regression in the struggle. Everything depends on the physical freedom of Rêber Apo. Without this realization, no concrete development can take place. The duty falls on us. We must develop the struggle much more effectively and strongly. We have entered the second year of the mass struggle. It started in Amed and spread all over the world. Kurds and their international friends, democratic circles, and all the peoples, particularly women and youth, struggled very intensely. But more is necessary. More effective methods need to be used. Every day and every opportunity must be utilized. There is a struggle in all four parts of Kurdistan, and there are struggles all over the world. In Europe, there are currently big mobilizations ongoing. Protests are planned every day. On November 10th, there will be a demonstration in Britain. On November 16th, there will be a demonstration and rally in Cologne. Women and men, young and old, children, patriots, all Kurds, all democrats must participate in this struggle. Everyone needs to be involved. Especially women and the youth should mobilize to lead this struggle. We must once again take the strongest stance in Cologne. The previous Cologne rally was a turning point in this struggle. This rally should be a new turning point. This is the goal.
The physical freedom of Rêber Apo is no longer a discussion, a thought, or an evaluation. It has become a concrete practical, political goal that must be realized. It has become such a concrete agenda. We must continue our mobilized struggle to realize this. Our call and invitation is to this struggle.
To come back to the situation in Turkey in more detail at this stage. It is the MHP, of all parties, that has most recently put the issue on the agenda. How should this be understood?
Not only the MHP, in fact, in this process, unlike in the past, almost all major parties have participated and expressed their opinions. We wanted to take them seriously and evaluate them cautiously. We would have liked that. But their approach was never reassuring. Everyone discussed what kind of new game they were playing. Everyone who was asked on the street in Amed and Wan in Kurdistan was distrustful. They said that all these calls and speeches were part of their special war tactic. Our leadership warned about this, saying that we react sensitively to all their special warfare tactics. We have taken a certain experience from the past on this issue so that no one would try to play tricks on us again. But recently, it has really gotten a bit sloppy. There is also a very volatile situation.
Some people are using that action as a justification. But regarding this, the HPG has made the necessary explanations. The ones who conducted the action in fact explained it themselves. They say that their aim is to strengthen the cause of Rêber Apo. Some people say that the action was a provocation against the movement, against Rêber Apo. The ones who conducted the action have already revealed beforehand that there is nothing like that.
It’s a war, it’s going on and it hasn’t ended, and there are no binding agreements. Do people not understand that they are trying to use this as an excuse? Our leadership has clearly shown that the action has no connection to the current processes. That is the truth. Nobody has issued an order that this action is to be carried out at that particular time. Those who set the time and carried out the action are the ones who did the action themselves. Obviously, they could not have known that a meeting with Rêber Apo would take place at that time. That should be clear.
What I want to say is that there is no ambiguity in this respect. The action should not be taken as a pretext to block the process that has been started. It is actually a warning to see the gravity of the situation and to see how deep the current state of war and conflict is. However, it has spoiled the game of many of those who approached it within the scope of the special war. Now that their games have been shattered by the action, they are trying to free themselves from the situation they have slipped into by blaming others and transferring responsibility to others. This is not acceptable. Indeed, we have heard new things from both Devlet Bahceli and Ozgur Ozel. They are talking about the Kurds and the Kurdish question. Especially Ozgur Ozel, the new chairman of the CHP, spoke in Amed about a democratic solution, the participation of the whole society, and opening the way for democratic politics on this basis. These were important, positive, new evaluations. The old ones are known. Kurds were not accepted. They have come to the point where they accept Kurdish existence. This happened through struggle. There is no need to re-examine that. But the result is at this level. Regarding the CHP chairman, it would be good if he continued his trip in Kurdistan. He shouldn’t just meet with officials or institutions or those in charge of institutions there. It would be good if he joined the people, listened to Kurdish people, women, young people, shopkeepers… What do Kurds really think? Because, as he said, nothing can happen unless the Kurds want it and accept it. So what do the Kurds want? He should look there.
Now it is necessary to explain this to the Turkish public opinion. It should not be handled one way in Amed and another in Ankara and Istanbul. Everyone needs to be informed correctly. That is what we recommend.
What is not needed is an approach driven by complexes toward Rêber Apo. This is not a positive attitude. So many people are talking about him, evaluating his position. He has struggled so much and produced so much thought. He has so many supporters in the world. One needs to be respectful. Is he doing this for his own benefit? Is he staying 26 years in the Imrali torture center for his own benefit? One must be consistent in his/her words and his/her attitude. The reality of Rêber Apo and the Kurdish question should not be used for political interests. It is wrong to take it for daily political interests.
What I want to say is that there is not much to say because there is nothing concrete. We want things to develop and we follow developments closely in order to understand. Our attitude has not changed. But what we have also seen is that there are many circles that benefit from the existence of the Kurdish question and the war that goes with it. The discussions that come from these circles are of no use. We don’t know if it will in the future.
Those who profit from the war and those who wage it may not be the same. The profiteers are afraid that the war will end, that the question will be resolved and that they will lose their interests. They do not love Turkey. They are just afraid of losing their interests. We have seen this once again.
There is an important group of people who are profiteering from this war. They also say, that what Devlet Bahceli is talking about, he shouldn’t. The MHP has been on one side of this war for forty years. Everyone should know and see this. It goes beyond Devlet Bahceli. We know very well who is fighting on the front. Because the essence of this struggle is a struggle of mentality, an ideological struggle. The ideology of democratic thought on the basis of Kurdish freedom, the ideology of patriotism is in conflict with nationalism, sexism and statism. It conflicts with imperialism. It is necessary to take a stance against these profiteers. It is necessary to expose them. First of all, if something is to develop, it is necessary to expose and unmask them. Then other developments can happen. Because they are very provocative. They spread all kinds of lies. They have nothing to do with the truth. They talk as if they know everything when they know nothing. They talk so much about the PKK that they have no knowledge about. They deceive people, they brainwash them. In order not to lose their interests.
Let’s move on to the war in Kurdistan. You have already mentioned the action in Ankara, how is the guerrilla resistance against the colonialist-occupying Turkish army going in general? Also with a view to the effects of the recent attacks on North and East Syria, as well as on Şengal (Sinjar)…
The HPG and YJA Star are regularly giving statements about the state of war. The central headquarters command also made extensive evaluations about this ten-year period and gave detailed information. We have nothing to add to them. There were also opinions, evaluations, calls and searches for solutions that we agree with and have nothing to add to.
What can one say apart from these? There was the attack against TUSAŞ on October 23rd in Ankara; the fedai2 action. It is a continuation of the action that took place in Ankara on October 1 last year. This action, of course, brought this process to a new peak. It made everyone think about war once again. It shook the colonialist, fascist, and genocidal front. It was a new peak, a new culmination of the guerrilla struggle. A militarily complete and successful action in all aspects. In this respect, I commemorate with respect, love, and gratitude the comrades Asya Ali and Rojger Hêlîn who carried out the action. They were indeed excellent and successful in implementing the philosophy that was pioneered by comrade Zilan. They walked in the footsteps of Sara and Rûken, Rojhat and Erdal. They successfully continued their tradition.
The action was also successful in terms of its results. It aimed at a military target. The place where the machines that have been carrying out massacres in Kurdistan for years are produced. There cannot be a more military place than this. Calling it civilian would be far from reality.
The action symbolized the fedai spirit of Rêber Apo’s philosophy at its peak. It shows the truth to all of us. It clearly reveals what the spirit of the new period should be like and what kind of militant spirit the Kurdistan freedom struggle can achieve.
Of course, this is not the only action of the guerrilla. There were statements and information made on behalf of our central headquarters command. Comrade Cemal and Zozan gave statements in this regard. The war continues in northern Kurdistan, where there are clashes in every region. The enemy is dealt heavy blows, and the guerrillas also give martyrs. There has been increasing activity in the Medya Defense Zones3 recently. Effective blows have been struck recently on the Bahar and Cûdî mountain in Zap.
On the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the martyrdom of our immortal commander, comrade Beritan, there were and still are actions in every area of Zap, and also from Metina to Xakurke. A great resistance is also continuing in the Medya Defense Zones.
Our headquarters command stated that the enemy has locked itself while they were trying to lock up the guerrilla with their colonialist, occupationist attacks. They said that they would finish their job till mid-summer, then they corrected themselves, saying that they would finish the guerrilla until November; well, now it is November. This time they will say that they will achieve their goal in March, mid-summer, or next November. This is how it goes on. It has been going on like this for forty years. It started back then. After the actions in Eruh and Şemdinli on 15. August 1984, they said that in twenty-four hours they would destroy the armed forces. Twenty-four hours ended, forty-eight hours ended, seventy-two hours ended, and then they cut the clock. This has been going on ever since. The situation of the guerrilla, its struggle, its spirit of resistance, its state of self-renewal, the line of resistance in the Medya Defense Zones, and the line of resistance in northern Kurdistan are all evaluated by our headquarters. The daily developments are announced to the public every day and without reduction. A great resistance and war is waging. Our comrades widely evaluated it. There is no need to repeat it. But I can say this. On behalf of our party leadership, I once again greet all HPG and YJA Star guerrillas, commanders, and fighters who are fighting heroically. And I commemorate with respect, love, and gratitude the heroic martyrs of the resistance, particularly the resistance in Zap, Avashin, Metina, and Xakurke.
Regarding the enemy, the fact that they are searching for some new options and new ways is already a sign that they are deadlocked in the war, that they locked themselves in. The current process is a result of that. All the discussions and all those politicians now rising up and voicing their opinions does not just come out of the blue.
It was October 30, 2014, when the decision on the so-called ‘collapse action plan’4 was taken. Ten years have passed since then. Now everyone is saying that the collapse plan itself has collapsed. And those who implemented it have collapsed. The plan failed very clearly. The AKP administration had prepared it, and later the MHP was also involved. Then they included the KDP, and today they also included Iraq. They are trying to get support from everyone. They go to Washington and Moscow. Now they are trying to involve China as well. They have set the goal of destroying the PKK and crushing the guerrilla. The result of the last ten years is obvious; they have failed. The PKK is standing firm, and the guerrilla is standing firm, fighting on all fronts. And it is giving the fascist, colonialist, and occupationist forces, the AKP MHP hordes, a real challenge. This is a clear fact.
We did not declare war on the AKP-MHP in 2014/15. We did not break the process that started in 2013. Tayyip Erdoğan himself broke it by saying, “I don’t recognize it.” In March and April 2015, it was revealed that they themselves had made a plan and were preparing for war. They set themselves the goal of destroying the PKK. In order to do this militarily, in the last ten years they have taken the power of all the states of the world. They made the Kurdish betrayal their vanguard. They totally collaborated, did not listen to any law or morality of war, and resorted to all kinds of ostracized methods and forbidden means. They carried out the most brutal attacks. And the result is failure. The AKP-MHP attacks based on the collapse plan have been defeated. They have failed. They have to accept it themselves. If they don’t and don’t develop an attitude accordingly, they will suffer more damage. This is the truth of the matter.
We don’t know what they plan or how they plan to adjust their attitude. But it has become clear that they will not be able to insist on the current plan. That’s why many circles are trying to hit the reverse. They make calls and say, “You cannot achieve success with the current method.” But can they show that wisdom? Can they put forward such a will? Can they have such a common sense approach? We don’t know. If not, they have already put Turkey into a disaster. No one else can pull it out now. They themselves will have done the greatest evil.
He started to talk about loving the Kurds, but at the same time, he is attacking Shengal (Sinjar) and Rojava. They cut off the Kurds’ water and electricity, slaughtered them, and boasted about it. So let’s discuss and talk about these attacks. What are they really aimed at? They carried out their most intense attacks. Their game is broken. It seems that these calls and so on were meant to loosen the resistance. When their first-hand, impetuous game is broken, they attack in anger. They justify their attacks on Rojava, Shengal, and other places with the guerrilla action in Ankara. It is very strange. The guerrilla action in Ankara is a full-fledged military action. It does not harm civilians. It is an action in accordance with the law of war. But it is obvious that they do deliberately target civilians. The attacks they carried out in Shengal and Rojava are clear. They do not comply with any laws, morals, or rules of war. As a whole, they hit civilians, children, houses, and living facilities. Now what does the protest in Ankara have to do with massacring the Kurdish people in Rojava and Shengal? They were already doing it before. They always did the same in northern Kurdistan, in the Medya Defense Zones, in Afrin, in Serekaniye, and generally in Rojava and Shengal. They have supposedly found a justification for themselves. It is a war crime. They are committing crimes and massacres in front of everyone’s eyes.
There is indeed an important stance and resistance of the people against this. I salute the resistance of the people and the freedom forces of North and East Syria. I especially salute the actions of the liberation forces of Afrin. They have both the right and the duty to wage all kinds of struggles. There is no other way. What has been done to Afrin is obvious; we cannot neither forget nor forgive any of this. At this point, the US on the one hand and Russia on the other, both as heads of the statist system, immediately said that they embrace Turkey, even before the action in Ankara was even reflected in the press. Now massacres are taking place in Rojava and in Shengal. What is happening in Gaza and elsewhere is being discussed, and the Israeli administration said that they are criticized, while no one questions what happens in North and East Syria. It was almost as if he had said that they were just doing what they learned from them. That is what Hitler admitted in the past. There is a similar situation. If Kurds protest against colonialists and genocide perpetrators, this is a crime; they have no right to do so. But if the Turks are hitting the Kurds, it is their right; they hit them as they wish. No one opposes this. Where is justice? Is this rightful, lawful? Is this the justice and law of today’s world system? Damn such a world system. Such an unjust, unfair, and cruel system is a system that will not benefit anyone. It will not benefit its owners in the end either. It is important to underline this.
The occupying Turkish state is committing massacres and genocide. It mainly wants to depopulate North and East Syria. It wants to drive out the Kurdish society there, as well as the other peoples who live together with the Kurds along the lines of a democratic nation. This is the purpose of these attacks. This must not be given any opportunity; it must be opposed. The enemy wants to drive away the people there. All the people, especially the youth, should embrace their land and embrace their villages. If we are going to die, we are going to die on our land. Our graves remain here, and our bones remain here. There is nowhere else to go. We need to break these oppressors by resisting them. No one should leave behind their place, their homeland, but they should take precautions. Of course, they should take resistance orders. Of course they should and will struggle. No one can prevent them from fighting. But the peoples of North and East Syria have gained experience; they have learned. They have been at war for years; they have learned. They have also tasted the taste of life in freedom. It is valuable and meaningful to create a free life even through struggle and war. We need to make any effort for it. Therefore, no one should leave their homeland. There are many plans in this regard. These games should not be played. Resistance must be developed further.
November 1st is the 10th anniversary of World Kobane Day. Kobane was protected, survived, and came to this day with the efforts of all peoples, women, and youth all over the world. Everyone has contributed. The Rojava freedom revolution is everyone’s revolution. The reality of North and East Syria is a reality of hope for everyone. It shines like a light, a star for everyone. In the spirit of November 1st, I call out to those around the world who protected the revolution 10 years ago; today there is the same attack to crush the revolution. ISIS was attacking then. Today, the ones that created ISIS are attacking themselves. And they are attacking Kobane. The ruling and state forces are silent, but the peoples, women, youth, revolutionary, democratic forces, left socialist forces all over the world must stand up once again with the spirit of Kobane on November 1st. They must claim their own revolution. Our call is on this basis.
The war in the Middle East, which could possibly be described as World War Three, is growing in intensity. How do you assess the current developments in this regard?
The war in the Middle East has intensified since October last year. That started with the attack of Hamas from Gaza, which Israel has seized as opportunity. But Israel is not on its own; the whole NATO is behind it. Israel wants to utilize the advantages it has gained militarily. It is accurate to consider this as the Third World War.
Rêber Apo analyzed and evaluated the Third World War in all its dimensions. He defined it as a conflict caused by the contradiction between the supranational monopoly capital system and the nation-state status quo. It is linked to globalizing capital, its ability to make more profit, to exploit more, to move faster and unhindered. For this, the attacking force is the monopolistic supranational capitalist power. The defenders are the nation-state structures, the nation-state status quo forces. All the states in the Middle East were like this. Iraq, Syria, and others have always been targets. Now Iran is being targeted. Iran, of course, is also a nation-state status quo force in a way. The most rigid nation-state power clinging to the status quo is the Turkish state. Therefore, as I have already stated in the past, is the center of the war in Turkey. No matter what the current rulers, AKP, MHP, others, go to NATO, try to join the European Union, do whatever in the US, go to Russia, China, or join BRICS, they cannot save themselves.
The First World War was a redistribution over energy resources and routes. It was a redistribution of the world. It was the formation of a global hegemonic structure for the capitalist system. The Middle East and the Ottoman Empire were the targets. They took out the nation-state structure and dismembered the Empire. Turkey became the model, and a hundred years passed like this. Now the Third World War wants to overcome this hundred years of nation-state status quo. That status quo limits the circulation of capital. It prevents maximum profit. It weakens exploitation. And capital does not want to recognize obstacles. It wants to make more profit. There is an insatiability there. This is how this attack continues. Again, there are new energy routes; there is the issue of energy resources. There is also the aim of global monopoly capital to become more influential and dominant. What the human mind created thousands of years ago, five thousand years ago in the Middle East, is now bringing everything to humanity in the Middle East. Middle Easterners created all this war and all these tools. The first of everything happened in the Middle East. Everything developed in the Middle East. And now it is becoming a victim of its own creations. But not everyone is, of course. Some try to dominate, some become victims. There is a very brutal, unrestrained war going on.
Nationalism, religionism, sexism, and materialism are ravaging the Middle East and the whole world. This war is its product. One side says that the ummah must unite. Another side says it wants the capital to dominate everything. Some talk about problems with security and freedom. For example, Israel is attacking right now. It says that the Jews have a security and freedom problem, and it would solve it for them. It is for Israel’s security. Rêber Apo underlined this. Will the Jews be able to ensure their own security by destroying their environment? Or will they be safe by fraternizing with the environment? Will the Jews be free by enslaving others? Or will they be free by sharing with everyone? This war will not bring security; it will not bring freedom; it will not bring democracy. There is opposition to these things. Like this, there will be no security and freedom for the Jew, no security and freedom for the Muslim, no security and freedom for the Christian, no security and freedom for the Turk, no security and freedom for the Persian, no security and freedom for the Kurd, no security and freedom for the Arab, none of them.
What is necessary? Rêber Apo proposed the democratic nation as a solution for the Middle East. He proposed democratic confederalism. The solution is here; the solution is coexistence. Instead of destroying all the others and taking over everything, he envisages coexistence. There is no other solution. Otherwise, there will be an endless bloodbath, there will be a disaster, and maybe some people will become very wealthy for a while, but there is no end to it. This is why this war must be opposed. This war of interests, this war of redistribution, the Third World War, the imperialist war, and the war of exploitation must be opposed. Everyone must turn it into their own war for freedom and democracy. They must turn it into a war of brotherhood with other peoples. It is necessary to turn it into a war for democratic nation, democratic confederalism and develop its revolution. That can only be the solution.
Is there anything else you would like to add at the end?
October 29 marks the 101st anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic in Turkey. It would be useful to say a few words on the occasion of this anniversary. Because it is also connected to other discussions. Again, Rêber Apo has put forward these issues in a very holistic manner with all the details. One, Kurds are active founding members of this republic. This needs to be reminded once again to those who have seized this republic and use it as their private club. Two, Kurds did not betray this republic. The Republic itself did not manage to become a true republic. Because it could not democratize. It could not become a democratic republic. The Republic itself betrayed its founding principles and did not maintain them. During its founding process, it had granted the Kurds autonomy. It fought for Turkish-Kurdish unity and brotherhood and tried to establish this republic. But it was the republic itself that ignored the Kurds and wanted to destroy them. The Republic turned to this to destroy the Kurds. And when the Kurds resisted, they were declared guilty because they were resisting. Three, this was the Republic of Turkey, not the Turkish Republic. It was the State of the Republic of Turkey, not the Turkish State. Those who ignored the Kurdish people, betrayed the founding principles of the republic, and caused the republic to become what it has become are the ones who made the Republic of Turkey a Turkish Republic. Turkish and Turkey are not the same. When the Republic was founded, Turkey was defined as a common homeland where Turks and Kurds lived. Turkey refers to a homeland. Turk refers to a race, a nation. Turkey and the Turk cannot be equated or equated. In the beginning there were no Turks, there was Turkey. Turks were something, an element in it, like the Kurds. There were also other communities. But they ignored them all. They also wrote at the beginning of the constitution, in many justifications. The Turkish State, the Turkish Republic, is not like that. This is being distorted. They are not being faithful to the truth. Therefore, we call everyone to the truth.
I mentioned before that 100 years passed like this. The First World War was a war to divide the Middle East into nation states. This happened through Turkey. Now the Third World War is trying to overcome the status quo. The Turkish Republic was established with the Treaty of Lausanne. Through the Turkish Republic, Arabia was shaped into twenty or so states. Now there is the Jewish-Arab alliance, the Israeli-Arab alliance, the Abraham Accords Declaration. The capitalist system wants to reshape the new Middle East according to this agreement. What will Turkey do in the current situation? It can no longer continue with the same approaches as in the last century. Everyone must come to their senses. They must see the changes. They try to take the capitalist order as a basis, but they try not to act according to the logic of capital. That won’t work then. They don’t know where they will end up like this. Finally, let me point out one last aspect. This republic was founded thanks to the October revolution, with the support of the Soviet Union and the support of the Kurds. If it had not been for the October revolution, if the Soviet Union had not emerged, if the Kurds had not supported it, such a state would not have been established a century ago. There is no Soviet Union now. Those who think they can find new support by going to China or Russia and trying to join BRICS are fooling themselves. If you try to destroy the Kurds, then what will you survive on? The system is cutting its own legs, cutting its own arms.
Now there are Turks who define the Kurd as a wolf among them. They insult them in all kinds of ways and develop all kinds of assimilation, massacres, and genocide. Now Bahceli says that Kurds are their brothers; Kurds cannot exist without Turks, and Turks cannot exist without Kurds. Kurds have been saying this for a hundred years. They have done everything they could on this issue; they have not given any support. Why were they never taken into consideration? Have you only just come to your senses? But they are still not consistent on this issue. They are trying to deceive the Kurds. They say Kurds cannot be without Turks; Turks cannot be without Kurds. But still, they want the Kurds to become Turks. This is not the way. Kurds will be given their rights. Kurds will be free. Turkey will become a democracy based on Kurdish freedom and on women’s freedom. Only then can it sustain itself. Only then, as an alternative system, can it resist the attacks of this capitalist system, the monopoly capital system, and survive. Otherwise, it has no chance of survival.
Those people who claim different, they don’t understand anything. They are only after their own rents, they are dragging Turkey towards disaster. The intellectuals, writers, artists, and politicians of Turkey should be wise against them. They should appreciate the Kurdish reality, the support of the Kurds, the support of a thousand years, and make good use of it. Then they should be able to establish a democratic republic in the homeland of Kurds and Turks according to the founding, that is, based on their freedom. Otherwise, there is no chance of survival.
Finally, we are entering November, the month of the establishment of our party. I call on everyone to use the month in which this party was born correctly, to evaluate it correctly, to develop the struggle for the physical freedom of Rêber Apo more effectively by deepening the understanding of the party’s approach to revolution and patriotism in the line of Rêber Apo and the martyrs.
By commemorating the comrades Kerim, Delal and Reşit with respect, love and gratitude, I commemorate all of our November martyrs. I call on everyone to increase the struggle for the freedom of Rêber Apo everywhere in the legacy of the November martyrs, and I wish everyone success.
Footnotes:
1 Referring to Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Ocalan.
2 ‘Fedai’ literally translates into English as ‘sacrificial’, or someone who is self-sacrificing. In the Kurdish freedom movement, self-sacrifice is an essential concept that has different interpretations depending on the context.
3 Areas on the border between North, South and East Kurdistan/South-East Turkey, North Iraq and West Iran, that are under the control of the Kurdish freedom guerrilla.
4 Plan that the Turkish government, or rather the deep state of Turkey in coordination with NATO forces, forged secretly during the so-called ‘peace process’. The state abruptly broke off talks with the Kurdish movement in 2015 and escalated the situation as part of this plan, which could literally be translated as a ‘plan of forcing them to their knees’.