In the third part of this extensive interview with Medya Haber, Duran Kalkan, member of the KCK Executive Council, spoke about the attacks on Kurdish culture and language as well as the situation in Iran in relation to Gaza.

The first part of this interview can be read here, and the second here. 

Under fascism, society faced constant attacks. There is such an agenda in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan. The AKP-MHP fascist attacks on language, nature, and culture have been discussed recently. How accurate are these discussions? How correct are the attitudes? What do you think the right approach should be?

My comrade Cuma gave a comprehensive interview on this issue last week. He not only listed the practices that are being carried out, but he also clearly put forward and expressed the answers to the question of what the attitude of the people, particularly  women and young people, should be and how they should struggle. I agree with everything he stated. There is nothing to add to this. The AKP-MHP coalition is attacking the Kurdish language and culture; they arrest young people and torture them. Some seem surprised by this, but that is the reality of the Turkish state. This state has been doing this for 100 years, and in the last twenty years, it was the AKP-MHP that was leading this. The people that are now surprised: were they blind until now, or did they just not care about what was going on? There is a big blunder here. I would like to draw attention to that dangerous situation. I mean, this negligence must be overcome. The MHP is in power; it is the MHP that rules the Turkish state today, ideologically, politically, and practically. On what basis has the Tayyip Erdoğan administration been surviving for years? It survives based on the MHP. Well, is there a more fascist force than the MHP in Turkey? Is there a force that is more hostile to Kurds, women, and society in general than the MHP? Some circles don’t call the MHP fascist; what do they think? That the MHP has changed, that it has become moderate? People shouldn’t deceive themselves like this. As we have always pointed out, resistance against fascism must happen on all levels, because fascism is a total attack on all levels. First they attack Rêber Apo, then the guerrillas and the PKK. If you don’t unite with them, they will attack everything you stand for, everything your identity consists of; may it be your language, culture, land, forest, or all the sources of wealth above and below ground. This is not happening now; it has been like this since the foundation of this state. Everyone should be aware of this. We should not deceive ourselves. Let us open our eyes, our hearts, and our consciousness, and let’s see what kind of annihilation attack the Kurdish people are facing. Rêber Apo has warned us many times. He said, 'Tomorrow you will not be able to speak your language, stay in your village, find bread, or be called by your own name. They won’t even give you a grave.' We say that we are doing everything in line with Rêber Apo, but we forget what he predicted long ago. We should not forget, and we must not fall into heedlessness. There is the fiercest attack on society and nature, on everything Kurdish. The prisons are filled to the brim. Humanity is facing a massacre. Young girls and women are being subjected to rape. The underground and above-ground riches of Kurdistan have been looted and plundered for years. Forests are being devastated. Its water is being negotiated with Iraq for the realization of the Kurdish genocide. Kurdish water and energy. All sources of wealth are being used to keep a handful of money lords alive. There is an attack on life itself. And even the deceased are not left to rest in peace.

Some still act as if there is a democratic government in Turkey, as if life under them is worth living and that there were only a handful of attacks. They say that you have to oppose it a little, and that would be enough. 'They ban our govend? Then we’ll dance anyway.' It’s not as simple as that. There is a total fascist, colonialist, and genocidal extermination attack. The same, even more severe and similar to the ferman [genocide] that ISIS directed against Shengal on August 3, 2014, has been applied to the Kurdish people in North Kurdistan for decades. I’m not saying we should do this or that. I agree with what comrade Cuma said. We need to be more radical, more effective, and more comprehensive in the actions that we take. If they dare to attack your language like that, it means you have to strengthen the awareness in this regard. Can we boycott speaking Turkish? Can we boycott going to Turkish schools? Can Kurdish society show such a will? One has to evaluate such options. Fascism can only be broken with effective, active resistance.

In this respect, especially young people, they must be more conscious, consistent, and organized. They should be more active. I talked about radical struggle before and said that there is a need to be more radical because passivity against fascism led to the current situation. Passive, liberal, limited, and weak attitudes made AKP-MHP fascism so aggressive. If there had been stronger resistance, it would not have dared to do these things. They see that the more they attack, the less organized society is, and the easier it is to oppress, scare, frighten, and assimilate. Genocide is being practiced, and the Kurdish people are wanted to be Turkified. The Kurds must be able to break away from Turkishness and return to their own roots and identity to a comprehensive degree. They must be able to exist and live as Kurds. And of course, this is only possible through strong organization. I mean, what will you do if you get a diploma from these Turkish schools? You should be happy if you learn to read and write in your own language. Rêber Apo said more than 40 years ago: “I went to the best statist schools and forgot everything I knew and learned until then.” What are Kurdish youth looking for in those schools? What are they trying to find? Are they going to find what Rêber Apo couldn’t find? I mean, they can’t. The youth are responsible for this more than anything else. Young people should think correctly, look holistically, and get rid of heedlessness. What is going on and what the state tries to implement can be called systemization. The biggest crime is systemization. One has to break with the system in the most radical way. One has to break away from this male-dominated mentality, politics, anti-Kurdish, anti-woman, anti-social mentality, and system. We will build our own lives together as a society. This does not only apply to Kurds. The way to salvation for all laborers, workers, women, and the oppressed everywhere is through this. Only when you get rid of this system, when you break away from it, can you save yourself. I invite everyone to this to become organized accordingly.

As far as the conflictual and complex situation in the Middle East is concerned, Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, was recently killed in Tehran. What force or forces carried out this attack, and why was this done in Tehran?

We are currently evaluating these issues. But this latest incident has not been fully evaluated by our administration yet. It has not made any statement. It will do so and may give a statement if it deems it necessary. In this respect, I can give a brief personal opinion. What about the war in Gaza, and what happened in Tehran? These are not disconnected things. It is not a very different situation. The attack in Tehran was a result of the war in Gaza. In Gaza, in front of everyone’s eyes, millions of people are masscred for self-interest, for simple material interests. The conflict was fought for that. There were those who wanted this to break out. How was the Israeli government able to attack immediately in such a comprehensive manner? It seems that it was ready beforehand. Also, other forces, like America, were ready to support it. And who was the one who rushed into this preparation and made provocations? It was Tayyip Erdoğan. Everyone knows this. Tayyip Erdoğan made ISIS attack Kobane. Tayyip Erdoğan also led Hamas into such a war out of nowhere. He was hoping that he would frustrate Israel’s energy and trade corridor and impose his own. But when he saw the determination of Israel and the US, he started begging and pleading. For nine months, he has been begging for a ceasefire. So if you wanted a ceasefire, why did you attack and start a war? When he realized that the war would not go the way he wanted and that he had been tricked, deceived, and used as a provocateur, he tried to get out of this situation, but he couldn’t.

After the war started, we saw many powers joining hands and making a fuss that it was Iran that started this war, that the Iran-Israel war had started, and that they were creating virtual wars. How many people in this world want an Israeli-Iranian war? How many powers were there that tied their interests and existence to a war between Israel and Iran? We saw these. And who was at the forefront of them? Tayyip Erdoğan and the AKP administration. I mean, one just needs to watch their press, their statements, and with whom they have held meetings in the last nine months. They have been seeking and trying with all their might to provoke an Iran-Israel war. They wanted to do it in Gaza, but it didn’t work. They wanted to do it through Greece, but it didn’t work either. Now, they want to develop a fight between Hezbollah and Israel this time. Some forces within Israel also want this. I can’t evaluate the interests of all of them at this point, but the AKP and MHP leadership definitely want this more than anyone else. Why was Ismail Haniyeh killed in Tehran and not elsewhere? He was staying in Tehran the longest. He stayed in Turkey the longest. He carried a Turkish passport. We know he traveled there from Turkey. He was protected by the Turkish intelligence service. He stayed in Qatar for a very long time. Everyone knew this. It was being said and written. Why was this attack done in Tehran and not in Qatar or Turkey? For the very thing I mentioned, to start an Israeli-Iranian war, Now, as soon as the incident happened, one must simply follow the programs of the AKP press, and one understands. They are saying that the war has started now. They did it like this with Hezbollah before, and now this is their next step. They are spreading everywhere that Iran and Israel will go to war because they have tied their own interests to this war. If Israel and Iran fight, they will both be dependent on Turkey, everything in the region will change, and the AKP will save its power position. If this does not happen, the system of capitalist modernity and the current AKP-MHP policies will be in contradiction, and conflict will arise between them. If it does not make Israel fight Hezbollah and Iran in Lebanon, it will end up fighting Israel in Cyprus. Cyprus and itself will be next. That is why Erdoğan is afraid. AKP-MHP fascism has dragged Turkey into a disaster. Rêber Apo has repeatedly expressed this and warned everyone. He said that a democratic Middle East based on Kurdish freedom is good for everyone. Accordingly, he proposed a democratic Middle East confederalism. Otherwise, he said, it would be a disaster. And the biggest disaster would be Turkey. Now the Tayyip Erdoğan administration has put Turkey into a disaster and is trying to get out of it by drawing Iran into the war. It is trying to prevent the disaster from deepening. What conclusion do I draw from all this? Who did it? They point to Israel. It could be possible. Some forces may have done it. Why was it done in Iran? It is definitely time to start an Iran-Israel war. Who wants an Iran-Israel war the most? The AKP-MHP administration. For Israel, some forces are also partners with them. So I am surprised why no one is questioning Hakan Fidan, the Turkish intelligence service, or the Erdoğan administration. He was staying in Turkey, his residence was in Turkey, and he was traveling with a Turkish passport. Wasn’t Turkey responsible for ensuring his safety? Why didn’t they take care of him? Why didn’t they ensure Ismail Haniyeh’s safety? Did they say Hamas is over, and we have nothing more to do with Ismail Haniyeh? Were they complicit in this? Those who are truly investigating this incident must investigate Erdoğan’s involvement. They cannot draw any conclusions without taking his role into consideration. As the saying goes, whoever benefits the most from an incident should be the one to be questioned. Now it is said that this incident will lead to an Israeli-Iranian war, and if that happens, it will benefit the AKP MHP the most. They want it to happen. They did it with Ismail Haniyeh; this time they are trying to save their own skin by calling Mahmoud Abbas. This is actually a very sufficient reason to look for traces of Turkey in this incident.

As a movement, we are against such a war. Definitely, the people are oppressed through them. Just as the people of Gaza were oppressed, such a war will bring the oppression of new peoples. These are not wars of freedom, not wars of democracy, not antifascist wars. They are colonial wars. They are wars of interest. They are imperialist wars. It is a war of exploitation. We must oppose it then. I can also say this about the Iranian administration. The Iranian administration acted really prudently in the face of the provocations in Gaza. It did not give in to provocations. Now this is a more serious provocation, and Iran has a new administration. The president and the administration have changed. We expect the new administration to better understand and evaluate these realities. Therefore, we think that it will show prudence not to come to these provocations. We think that it is also in Iran’s interest to show it. Therefore, Iran should definitely not come to Turkey’s provocation by other powers. It should not be a party to such a war.

Two female activists are currently on death row in Iran, which has caused a lot of serious reactions. What can be said in this context, as well as regarding the new government that you have already mentioned?

Women’s movements are more sensitive, and many of them made strong statements, made calls, and emphasized strong criticism. They want to prevent it. These are important and meaningful, and we attach importance to this attitude and these calls. It is very important that the women’s movement has shown such sensitivity and activity.

The mass movement that developed under the slogan 'Jin, Jiyan, Azadi' has become an ideological and cultural revolution in Iran. It will celebrate its second anniversary in mid-September. The fact that it came from women’s power and that it was led by women gave it special importance. If women are so effective, so conscious, and so organized, then there is something there. We have already evaluated, in the past, why the Iranian government opposed this so much. It caused so many attacks, imposed executions, and imprisonments that it seems unintelligible. This movement is the honor and glory of Iran. This attitude of the women of Rojhilat and Iran led the women of the world. It saved Iran’s honor in the world. It is indeed necessary to show an attitude of respect and gratitude. But for the male-dominated mentality, the power, and the state, this is not understandable; instead, they attacked. The current government had many options for action, but they decided to insist on saying that foreign forces were behind it. The women in Rojhilat and the women in Iran want freedom. They want to decide self-determined what clothes they wear. What does this have to do with foreign powers? Where and with which foreign power did the woman establish relations? These are extreme plumb prejudices. The other is that a new administration has been elected. The current president condemned the violent crackdown on these movements then too. He said that the problem should be solved and that women’s demands should be listened to. He also pledged that he would do that. The environment created by the 'Jin Jiyan Azadi' revolution led to the election of this president. The president should be aware of this. He made a promise, and because of this, he actually won the election. Now that he is in power, everyone expects him to fulfill his promise, to evaluate the environment in which he was elected correctly and approach it accordingly. These executions, repressions, and arrests must end, especially for women. With a new evaluation, there should really be a change and liberal steps. This will strengthen Iran in every respect. As the Kurdish Freedom Movement, we are of this opinion. It would not weaken Iran; it would strengthen it in every respect. Our expectation is to stop these things, like executions, immediately. That is our call. Beyond that, we need to listen to women; we need to listen to and understand young people. They are the pillars of society. They are the sustaining executive force. It is necessary to develop change, transformation, and order according to what they want. This will not weaken Iran; it will strengthen it and cause development. It will make Iran a power based on society and unite the country with its history. All freedom movements, including women’s liberation movements, have always been present in Iran. Today, if Iranian women have been uprising for two years, if they have demanded freedom with the slogan 'Jin Jiyan Azadi,'  if they have influenced the world so much, it is because they are based on that history. Therefore, it also unites Iran with its history. We hope and expect that the new administration will change and correct these issues quickly.