Preparations took days, and Newroz celebrations started today in Ağrı. The celebrations were held in the Municipality’s open air parking lot with the motto “We will prevail”. People arrived in the grounds with free buses arranged by HDP and DBP’s district branches. Women and children donned all the colors of Newroz and danced to the Kurdish songs.

People have shown great interest in the celebrations. A banner that reads “We will prevail, Newroz Pîroz Be” was hanged on the stage. HDP and DBP flags adorned the grounds and the people carried banners that read “NA”, Kurdish for “no”.

Following days long efforts in the villages and districts, the people flocked to the grounds in thousands. They were allowed into the grounds through two checkpoints and the grounds were surrounded by barricades.

HDP Ağrı MPs Dirayet Taşdemir and Berdan Öztürk, HDP Iğdır MP Mehmet Emin Adıyaman and Ağrı Co-mayor Sırrı Sakık, removed from office, attended the celebrations.

The program started after the greetings the preparations committee gave.

HDP Ağrı Branch Co-chair Olcay Öztürk spoke on behalf of the preparation committee and thanked and greeted the people.

HDP Ağrı MP Dilan Dirayet Taşdemir took the stage afterwards and celebrated Newroz. Taşdemir saluted all prisoners, including co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, and said: “I salute all those who resist in dungeons.”

“WE WILL ANSWER ON APRIL 16”

Taşdemir mentioned Newroz 2013 and said:

“We celebrated Newroz 2013 in peace and democracy. But for the last years, violent attacks have started again. While we longed for the days we would live in peace with Öcalan’s message, AKP didn’t recognize the table. They imposed slavery on the Kurds. They say one nation, one language. Kurds won’t accept that. Kurds will answer that on April 16. They raise hell, claiming there is ‘cruelty’ because one of their ministers was barred in Europe, but dozens of our elected officials are in prisons. Nobody will believe you, because your mirror is the Kurdish people. They are acting as enemies of Kurds in Syria and the Middle East. Now they speak of Manbij. In the past they said ‘Kobanê is about to fall’. But all the peoples of the Middle East resisted, and now they are marching towards freedom.”

Taşdemir continued:

“Our municipalities only provided services. The state has waged duplicitous politics for years. They can’t tolerate city signs in Kurdish, yet they put stickers that say ‘erê’ (‘yes’) on their own cars. They red tag even preschools. They are duplicitous. They can’t fool Kurds any more. And they will see that on April 16.

There are no Kurds, no women, no workers’ rights in this constitution. No peace, no freedom. There is only the rights of the Padisah and the Sultan. We will say ‘no’ to all these, with the spirit of June 7. We will say ‘no’, against the war, and for the bodies left on the streets in Cizre and Sur and our will taken hostage.”

The message HDP’s imprisoned co-chairs Selahatin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ sent was read after Taşdemir’s speech. Imprisoned Ağrı Co-mayor Mukades Kubilay also sent a message celebrating Newroz for the people of Ağrı.

After the messages, Ağrı’s Co-mayor Sırrı Sakık, removed from duty, gave a speech.

Sakık said: “Mr. Öcalan’s message in Newroz 2013 was a message of a journey to heaven, democratic politics were to flourish and guns would lay silent. For this, we accepted and assumed all duties and responsibilities.”

Sakık mentioned the referendum as well: “Those who don’t say a prayer for the dead of the Kurds, say that they will draft a new constitution. These people won’t bring freedom for the Kurds. They say they will fight if necessary. We are not afraid of their war. The Grey Wolves murdered leftists, Kurds and Alevis during the September 12 period. We know how you murder, but we don’t fear you. They put pressure on the people through these. They should know that pressure won’t achieve any results. What is urgent and necessary is to open up space for democratic politics, like Mr. Öcalan stated in his message in 2013. This process must be re-initiated. There is nothing to be gained from fighting Europe, the US, the peoples of the Middle East. The poor die in these fights. Now we must expand brotherhood and democracy.”

After Sakık’s speech, people built the Newroz fire. After the fire that symbolizes Newroz was lit, musician Nurcan Demirci took to the stage. Thousands of people danced the halay and listened to the music.