The Kurdish cultural movement TEV-ÇAND-Europe released a statement against the escalating attacks on Kurdish language and culture in Turkey in recent days.

The statement by TEV-ÇAND-Europe said the following:

"The genocidal Turkish state wants to complete the physical and cultural genocide practices it has carried out against Kurds throughout history, together with the KDP, which insists on the treasonous line for the fascist AKP-MHP. For this purpose, it has been imposing absolute isolation on Leader Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] for 25 years without interruption and resorting to all kinds of unlawful and immoral ways and methods, including chemical weapons against freedom guerrillas. All libertarian and democratic forces of society, especially women and youth, are the targets of these attacks. The total war not only targets Leader Apo and the guerrilla forces, but also all democratic political forces, intellectuals and artists, women, children, sick and elderly prisoners and even the graves of those who were martyred for their just cause. Over the past week, the Turkish state’s racist-fascist attacks against the Kurdish language and culture have continued uninterruptedly in violation of all humanitarian, conscientious, moral and legal rules. Firstly, they attacked some young people’s dance to Kurdish music. Then, they attacked the Kurdish language over the traffic warning writings on the roads. The ever-increasing aggression is an all-out attack of annihilation and liquidation, seeking to break the will of the Kurds and make them surrender.

Against these policies of denial and annihilation that have been imposed on our people for 100 years, we, as the artists of the people and freedom lovers, have taken and are taking our place in this resistance with our language, culture, poetry, books, paintings, music, theatre, cinema and folklore. Despite all the oppression and intimidation policies, we have so far given voice to the resistance epics of the heroes who resisted in dungeons and mountains with our own literary language, culture and art. We have added spirit to our cause for freedom with music and poetry. We have passed on our history from generation to generation with the dengbêjs (storytellers) and kept our social life alive with halay (dance). Today, as in history, we take our place in the just cause of our people and once again shout with a loud voice that we will stand against any mentality that ignores our language and culture.

On this occasion, as the Cultural Movement, we appeal to all cultural labourers, our people and the friends of the Kurdish people: Let's stand against these attacks of occupation, denial and annihilation of the genocidal Turkish state by resisting in every field we are in. Let us write, read and speak Kurdish. Our language and culture are our honour. It is our reason for existence. Let us protect our language and culture."