In a written statement, the PKK Culture and Art Committee said: “Fascist attacks are getting reckless by the day. The genocide and assimilation policies forced upon the Kurdish people since the establishment of the Republic of Turkey have been continuing until today.”

The statement continued: “Assimilation tends to physically destroy the ethnic and community difference that the elites of the nation-state consider a weakness. This assimilation by the elite culture of the dominant nation-state is carried out by integration, force and ultimately by genocide.”

The statement added: “Our language and our culture are our existence. The Kurdish people have faced a total system of destruction and denial both through physical and cultural genocides. Kurdish songs, which have been banned for years, have survived thanks to banned cassettes hidden in a corner and have become the symbol of determination and resistance of a language and culture. Honourable Kurdish artists also tried to be the voice of the people by performing their art at the expense of their lives. Although great gains have been achieved since the years when Ape Musa stood trial for whistling in Kurdish, we see today with these tragic events that the genocide clamp has not been broken.”

The PKK Culture Committee reminded that “Kadir Sakçı, who was attacked because he was speaking Kurdish in Sakarya, Ankara fell martyr and his son Burhan Sakçı was seriously injured. Similarly, Mahir Çetin was murdered because he spoke Kurdish in Antalya and Kemal Kurkut was killed in Amed. Most recently, Barış Çakan was murdered  in Ankara a few days ago. At the same time, we have to remember the destruction of the Celadet Bedirxan library by the trustee in Siirt, and the dams built in Kurdistan, especially Hasankeyf. All these are aimed at changing and destroying through a cultural genocide the lands of the society that keeps its historical memory fresh and alive.”

The statement ended with the following remarks: “We all know and see that these attacks are actually carried out because this fascist state fears extinction. They are not an act of strength. Remembering Barış Çakan, who was murdered in Ankara on 31 May, we invite all our people and friends to join forces against the developing fascist attacks with the slogan "Our language is our existence”. A common united resistance front against fascism will win.”

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