The Co-Presidency of the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council released a statement marking the 39th anniversary of the 15 August 1984 Breakthrough, when the Kurdish guerrillas fired the first bullet at the Turkish army.

The KCK statement includes the following:

“We have reached the 39th anniversary of the resistance of August 15. It marks a turning point in the history of our struggle and is a milestone for the people of Kurdistan. We would like congratulate all the people of Kurdistan, especially Rêber Apo [Abullah Öcalan] and the great commander of the resistance, Comrade Agit, to all comrades of the party, to the prison resistance, to the peoples of the Middle East, to the oppressed peoples of the world, to the women, to all those who struggle for freedom and democracy, on the occasion of this great historical step. We would like to express our gratitude, greetings and respect to all those who contributed to the realization of this historical resistance, both intellectually and in action.

The resistance of August 15 has a very special significance and meaning for the guerrilla. It was developed as a strategy in which the guerrilla took historical responsibility by leading such a milestone of resistance and by becoming the architect of the new life being developed in Kurdistan. Undoubtedly, this leadership was achieved with great heroism, sacrifice, dedication, and cost. We would like to congratulate the guerrilla on this resistance of August 15. They have paid dearly for this historic responsibility, and they have continued to act according to this responsibility to this day. We would like to respectfully salute the historical resistance and respectfully commemorate all the martyrs of the revolution and democracy in the person of the great guerrilla commander Agit, and we pay tribute to their memories. We bow with respect. Once again, we reiterate our oath to the martyrs that we will honor their memory by taking their struggle to victory.

The resistance of August 15 is the result of deep historical meditation, consciousness and willpower. It was a revolutionary intervention in history which changed its course and paved the way for a new historical development in Kurdistan. This means that the Kurdish people gained national and social consciousness, and started to resurrect. While genocidal colonialism was imposing extinction on the Kurdish people, with the historic resistance of August 15, a revolutionary intervention was made in the fateful history that went upside down and the Kurdish people re-created themselves from their ashes.

It is very important for the Kurdish people to comprehend the resistance of August 15, which signifies the existence of the Kurds and their struggle against genocide. It has not lost anything of its significance for the people of Kurdistan. On the contrary, compared to the past, comprehending and deepening this historical process has gained even more importance.

The colonialism in Kurdistan and the genocide of the Kurds is different from its historical quintessences. This difference is based on two dimensions, the first of which is the anti-Kurdish character of the Turkish state. As is known, after the First World War, Kurdistan was divided between four nation-states for the sake of the interests of the forces of capitalist modernity in the Middle East. These nation-states, which established sovereignty in Kurdistan, subjected the Kurdish people to the process of extinction by depriving them of national, social and historical identity. The main force that developed and maintained this genocidal colonialist mentality was the Turkish state. The anti-Kurdish mentality in the Turkish state is so deep that it has premised its existence on the extinction of the Kurdish people and it has left no stone unturned to achieve this aim. The hundred-year legacy of massacres and genocide of the Turkish state has proven this fact. The second is the support given by the hegemonic states to the genocidal policies of the Turkish state. As it is known, the Treaty of Lausanne, which envisaged the Kurdish genocide, was signed between the Turkish state and the hegemonic states of the period. Although the anti-Kurdish, fascist character of the Turkish state was known by the hegemonic powers of the time, especially Britain and France, the Treaty of Lausanne was signed with the Turkish state. Thus, the division of Kurdistan and the genocide of the Kurdish people were approved by these powers. Not only did they give their approval, but the forces of capitalist modernity also supported the Kurdish genocide policies of the Turkish state uninterruptedly. The USA, the European states and NATO in particular follow this policy. The order created in the Middle East was also developed on the basis of the Kurdish genocide. All this has made it extremely difficult to break the Kurdish genocide. Changing this means changing the course of history. This reveals the historical significance attributed to the resistance of August 15.

The emergence of the PKK on the stage of history was a very important step in breaking the genocide imposed on the Kurdish people. From the very beginning, Rêber Apo started this historical process by correctly analyzing the character of the Turkish state and the foundations on which the Kurdish genocide is based. With the military fascist coup of September 12, 1980, the Turkish state aimed to stop this historical process that had just begun. However, the Kurdish freedom movement prevented this and managed to take the resistance and struggle to a higher level on two fronts. The first of these is the struggle that developed in the prisons and reached its peak with the resistance of [hunger strike] July 14. With this historic resistance, the chains of surrender and betrayal were broken and the enemy’s policy of liquidating the Kurdish revolution through the prisons was defeated. The second is the resistance of August 15. By carrying out this resistance, the guerrilla took the prison resistance of July 14 to a higher level and changed the history of the Kurdish people. All subsequent developments in Kurdistan have been the results of this historical step.

The resistance of August 15 has been evaluated in many respects since its inception and its results have been tried to be understood. Since that means existence for the Kurdish people, it is appropriate to talk, discuss and try to understand its meaning and results. One of these results is that the patriotic way of thinking was revealed in Kurdistan and the collaborator treacherous mindset was exposed. The collaborationist treacherous practice was consciously developed in Kurdistan as part of the genocide. The enemies of the Kurds have always developed the Kurdish genocide based on certain classes and families who have betrayed their people and country for the sake of personal interests and wealth. When the resistance of August 15 revealed the consciousness of freedom, struggle and Kurdish patriotism, the most collaborative betrayer groups tried to prevent this historical development. Today, they still support the concept of liquidation and genocide of the guerrilla and the Kurdish people. In this respect, it is very important to expose the true face of these collaborators and betrayers who sometimes try to portray themselves as part of the Kurdish people and its struggle.

Considering the present state of affairs we are going through, it is necessary to correctly and competently comprehend two important features of this historical process. First, the resistance of August 15 is not a step that has happened and ended, but is an ongoing process. The Kurdish people are still under the claws of genocide, and as long as the genocidal attacks continue, the deepening and continuation of the resistance is the only way to protect Kurdish existence and ensure Kurdish freedom. Secondly, all developments in Kurdistan are a result of the resistance. Not only previous developments, but also possible developments in the future. Because August 15 means a struggle for the Kurdish people. As has often been emphasized, the resistance is not just a military action, but the Kurdish people’s struggle for existence and freedom against genocidal colonialism. Therefore, today, as it was yesterday, it is not possible to create any development in Kurdistan without waging a struggle. In this respect, it is very important that all comrades, patriots, intellectuals and international friends highlight this truth and raise the awareness of society on the right basis against the attacks of AKP-MHP fascism and their special warfare.

We once again would like to celebrate the historic resistance of August 15. The people of Kurdistan and the freedom guerrilla have demonstrated that they will create greater results in the 40th year of this struggle by developing an uninterrupted resistance against the occupation and genocide attacks wherever they are. The effective actions of guerrilla in every area, including the Medya Defence Zones, prove this fact. On this occasion, we would like to congratulate all on the occasion of the successful attacks carried out on the Western Zap and salute all comrades who resist and struggle everywhere in the person of the fighters and commanders who carried out these actions.”