KCK Executive Council Co-Presidency released a written statement on Newroz and stated that it hoped the Newroz of 2016 to be a historical turning point in the struggle for a free Leader, a free Kurdistan and a democratic Turkey.

In its statement, KCK pointed out that the AKP government was banning the celebration of a 2600 years-old holiday and attacking the existence and basic cultural values of Kurdish people. The statement recalled that Kurdish people have been celebrating Newroz for thousands of years despite genocidal policies of oppression, savagery, and denial. Remarking that Kurdish people celebrated Newroz despite the bans in towns such as Cizre, Şırnak and Nusaybin in the 1990s, and showed that no power could ban this holiday, KCK said the struggle of thousands of Kurdish martyrs made the denial and prohibition of Newroz no longer possible.

'BANNING NEWROZ IS AN ATTACK ON THE EXISTANCE OF A PEOPLE'

KCK Executive Council Co-Presidency emphasized the historical importance and the spirit of resistance of Newroz, and criticized the AKP government’s attack on the towns where Kurdish people declared self-administration and ban on Newroz. KCK stated that AKP’s ban on Newroz was also an attack on the existence of Kurdish people and went hand in hand with the destruction of Kurdish towns.

‘KURDISH PEOPLE SHOULD FILL THE STREETS AND CELEBRATE NEWROZ’

Remarking that Kurdish people would celebrate Newroz in 2016 as they have done so for the past 2600 years, KCK invited the Kurdish people to fill the streets and squares for Newroz celebrations, and said that this celebration would upset the AKP’s decision to ban this Newroz in order to strengthen its fascist grip of power.

KCK invited Kurdish people to view the ban on Newroz as an attack on people’s existence, freedom and democratic life, and invited everyone including women, children and the elderly to join the celebrations. KCK noted that celebrating Newroz would also imply defending the people’s self-administration because the spirit of Newroz is the spirit of resistance and freedom.

Lastly, KCK Executive Council Co-Presidency stated that the freedom of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan was intertwined with the freedom of Kurdish people and the democratization of Turkey, and invited everyone to join Newroz celebrations and join the struggle for democracy fighting the fascist AKP regime.