In Amed (Diyarbakir), hundreds of thousands of people enthusiastically celebrate Newroz. Since no buses were provided by the usurped municipality, there were difficulties in getting to Newroz Park, but nevertheless the people were not deterred from their New Year's celebration. The area is cordoned off with police barricades, thousands of police and riot control vehicles are deployed. There are police entry checks at several points, where the Turkish Corona app "HES Code" is queried. Journalists had to endure four checks before entering the festival square after hours of waiting.

Banners in the square wished a Happy New Year in eight languages. The celebrants wave flags of the HDP, which is facing a ban, but also of the PKK and pictures of Abdullah Öcalan, of whom there has been no sign of life for a year. Despite police announcements from the stage, slogans are shouted praising Öcalan and the prison resistance.

Newroz has been celebrated for 2633 years

The official program began with the resistance song Çerxa Şoreşê (The Wheel of Revolution) and a welcoming speech by the celebration committee which said: "Kawa the Blacksmith defeated the despot Dehak and lit a fire. Newroz has been celebrated for 2633 years and stands for resistance, uprising, equality, justice and democracy. Newroz pîroz be!"

As the Newroz fire was lit, hundreds of thousands of people chanted, "Bijî Serok Apo!" [Long Live Leader Öcalan]. Police tried to suppress the chants by turning up the music.

The next speaker was HDP deputy Semra Güzel who said the following: "March is a month of resistance in Kurdistan. Our people are on the streets despite everything, Newroz fires are burning everywhere in the villages and on the mountain pastures. Let those who declare the Kurds null and void look at this place. The Kurds are in resistance in this square, this fact cannot be destroyed by any government."

Istanbul Convention is a red line

Semra Güzel also addressed Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention ordered by Erdogan, saying, "Struggling women; the rulers want to nullify our struggle, they want to take away our fought for rights. At this point we declare once again: we exist and we will exist, we will be ourselves. With his decision, the president has once again proven his hostility towards women. The decision encourages feminicides. For all further feminicides, the AKP bears the responsibility."

For the HDP, the Istanbul Convention is a red line, as is the criminalized gender-parity dual leadership, the HDP deputy said.

Next in the program was a speech by Sinan Çiftyürek, chairman of the Kurdistan Communist Party, who called for national unity. After that, musician Şilan Dora performed. The program is still continuing.