Scandinavian Kurdish Culture Festival in Stockholm

The Scandinavian Kurdish Culture Festival was organised in the Swedish capital Stockholm.

The festival, hosted by the Swedish Democratic Kurdish Community Center and the Sara Women's Union, began with a minute silence and was opened by the co-chairs of the Swedish Democratic Kurdish Center Ferah Bozcalı and Rıdvan Altun.

Kongra-Gel co-chair, Remzi Kartal, Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) Sweden representative, Ahmet Karamusa, HDP deputy Dilan Acumen Taşdemir, delivered speeches and talked about the current political developments in Kurdistan and Turkey.

Moderat (Conservative) Party deputy, Margeretha Cederfelt, Left Party deputy Daniel Riazat, Social Democratic Labor Party deputy candidate Kadir Kasırga shared the views of the parties they represent on the Kurdish issue with the participants.

Kongra-Gel co-chair, Remzi Kartal, said that the Turkish state war against the Kurdish Freedom Movement and the Kurdish people in Rojava, North and South Kurdistan has dragged the Turkish state into a deep economic and political crisis and that this crisis will deepen even further.

The European Union, starting with Germany, are actually helping Turkey in order to get their own interests, said Kartal, adding that, however, they won’t be successful as the Kurdish people would be able, together with Turkey's democratic forces and the entire Middle East to transform this crisis into an opportunity.

Noting that the Turkish state will not be able to emerge from the crisis as long as it continues the war against Kurds, Kartal added that the Turkish state has not succeeded in using the most advanced technique against Kurds.

KNK Swedish representative, Ahmet Karamus, criticized the attitude of European countries after he reminded that the Kurdish Freedom Movement has defeated the DAESH mercenaries, a threat to the whole world:

“In Rojava, Kurds fought for human rights, democracy and freedom. Thanks to the Kurds struggle, threats to Europe have been removed. - he said - But we do not see the appreciation of European countries. According to Turkish President Erdogan, DAESH is not a terrorist group. According to him, YPG / YPJ and PKK are terrorists. We as KNK, we asked the European Union and the United States to remove the PKK from their list of terrorist organizations”.

Conservative Party MP Margaret Cederfelt went to Turkey as an observer during the recent elections. She said she witnessed the pressure on people in Kurdistan to force them to vote for the AKP.

Left Party deputy Daniel Riazat said that the Left Party opposed any attacks on the Kurdish people and demanded that the government also take a stand.

Condemning the occupation, attacks and bombings of Rojava and South Kurdistan by the Turkish state, Riazat emphasized that the Left Party will intensify its work to remove the PKK from its list of terrorist organizations.

HDP deputy Dilan Acumen Taşdemir, reminded the audience that the struggle of the HDP is not only limited to the democratization of Turkey. She said that the purpose of the struggle is to spread freedom and democracy in the Middle East.

The festival continued with many different music, folklore and dance groups taking the stage.