KCK Executive Council Member Mustafa Karasu’s article published in the Yeni Özgür Politika newspaper and translated by ANF English service is as follows:

The Kurds are experiencing another historic Newroz. Newroz 2018 is an incarnation of the Newroz spirit, as a rising resistance against tyrants. The ongoing World War III in the Middle East has transformed into a war between the genocidal Turkish state that wants to continue with the status quo in the Middle East and the freedom forces that want to break this genocidal status quo. There is a war in the Middle East between new Dehak’s and contemporary Kawa’s. And the Kurdish Freedom Movement is leading this struggle for freedom with the Newroz spirit. The Kurdish Freedom Movement has fully become a Contemporary Med Movement. Like their ancestors, the Medes, led the peoples’ struggle for freedom 2630 years ago to rescue them from the grasps of tyranny, today the Kurds play the same role.

The Kurdish people has created itself with the resistances in the Newroz days and brought itself to this day. And today, they resist with the spirit of Newroz everywhere. With every resistance, they create a stronger self and achieve free and democratic life. The Kurdish people are not the same as they were before, the Kurdish people have become the people of Newroz. Being the people of Newroz means achieving the free and democratic life today. And increasing the struggle through such a passion for freedom and a lifestyle. That is why for Kurds, every day is now a day for the struggle, with the spirit of Newroz. Even though genocidal forces want to drink the blood of Kurds, other peoples have also taken on the resistance with Kurds in the lead. In this sense, today every day and every place in the Middle East and Kurdistan has become a resistance site.

Why is the Turkish state, personified by the AKP-MHP, leading an anti-Kurdish, genocidal colonialism in the Middle East? The answer to that is clear. Genocidal colonialism is going through the beginning of the end. The struggle led by the Kurdish people has reached the level of strength to be able to end genocidal colonialism and any and all despotisms in the Middle East. Genocidal colonialism sees that it’s nearing its end in the face of this struggle, so it has taken all regressive forces behind it and engaged in a war to protect itself. Tayyip Erdoğan has a survival issue, what he means when he says they are fighting a war for independence and the future is the survival issue of genocidal colonialism. Because the Kurdish people’s will, passion and fight for freedom has left genocidal colonialism without a leg to stand on. It will either break the Kurdish people’s struggle for freedom with a violent war, or this genocidal mindset, policy and system will fall. That is why they are now attacking desperately. But the people of Newroz the Kurds have achieved such a passion, awareness and will for freedom that it is not possible to crush or repress their struggle. With this aggressive stance, genocidal colonialism is only bringing its end closer.

When the will for freedom is strong and the struggle continues, each attack by genocidal colonialism ends up in more and more defeat. And right now, the passion, will and struggle for resistance is at its peak. The resistance in Afrin is the clear proof of this. If this resistance can continue for two months against every technological capability of the Turkish army, one of the biggest NATO armies, if the resistance continues in rural Afrin and in the periphery of towns today, that is due to the scorching nature of the will for resistance. It is not possible to defeat such a passion and will. This will and this resistance is resolute as to carry the Kurdish people into a free and democratic life.

Dozens of Turkish soldiers and gang members die every day. But the Turkish state, as required by their special war policies and the psychological operations, don’t publicize these deaths. They do this to constantly make themselves look superior. They used to hide deaths of soldiers in the past as well, but never before has there been such a level of obfuscation. Some of the deaths would be announced back then, now none of it is. They merely announce one or two deaths every week, and they do that to remind people that the war is still on. So, they push forth their successes. So, they push forth the advance they have made. That is what psychological warfare is. The truth is, they were met with two months of great resistance there, and they suffered dozens of casualties every day. They still do. But this information isn’t given to the media. With intense psychological warfare and propaganda, this is made out to look like the actual situation.

In this sense, everybody should see that there is a whole other great resistance outside of this special war and psychological operation. Refraining from a war of position due to the presence of civilians in Afrin city center and to avoid the complete destruction of the city is an expression of the decision to continue the resistance in a different form. The people and the fighters of Afrin will continue their resistance on a different level. The valiant resistance of the last two months will continue to be the will for resistance of the people of Rojava Kurdistan. With this will for resistance, the Rojava Revolution will prevail and Afrin will certainly be liberated.

The Afrin Resistance has shown that the second largest army in NATO can be resisted. If a small city showed this much resistance, the Kurdish people will derive strength from their history of resistance and resist even stronger in other places. They continue to resist. The Kurdish people have won big with the Afrin resistance. The Turkish state entering Afrin center will just be another Pirsus Victory for them. The righteousness of the Kurdish people’s resistance will be the foundation and strength behind exposing the AKP-MHP fascism’s animosity against Kurds and animosity against democracy, and achieving great victory against the genocidal AKP-MHP fascist government. The Kurdish people and the forces of democracy will resist this power and remove this obstacle from the path to democracy in Turkey and the Middle East.
Newroz 2018 will be celebrated with this spirit, this faith and this resolve. The people of Newroz the Kurds will renew and hone their will for resistance on Newroz, and make 2018 one of the greatest years for the struggle in history. In 2018, Turkish forces in particular will flock to the ranks of freedom against attacks by the genocidal AKP-MHP fascist government to give them the appropriate response.

In the ongoing World War III, the Newroz spirit is more needed than ever before so the Kurdish people and the oppressed peoples can break the former status quo and build a new Middle East based on a free and democratic life. Newroz is the means of resisting through harsh conditions and prevailing. The PKK has achieved great success to date by turning this spirit into a style of struggle. They will be sure to fight under harsh conditions with the spirit of Newroz and create great developments in 2018 as well. In the reality of Leader Apo and the PKK, hardship and obstacles only exist to be overcome. With the Contemporary Med Movement, hardships and obstacles will be overcome everywhere in Kurdistan in 2018 as well, and important developments will be created so the Kurdish people and oppressed peoples can achieve a free and democratic life.