The vigil started at the Qamishlo border in the Nusaybin (Nisêbîn) district of Mardin (Mêrdîn) in protest at the attacks by the Turkish state and the Syrian National Army (SNA) gangs on North-East Syria continues on its fourth day.

The crowd who gathered in the area in the morning hours greeted the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria with slogans and songs and expressed their reaction against the attacks. Hundreds of people sent greetings to the city of Qamişlo during the vigil and kept watch in the protest area wearing aprons with the inscription ‘Bijî berxwedana Rojava’ (Long Live the Resistance of Rojava). A delegation from Batman visited the vigil, which was also participated by DEM Party MPs Kamuran Tanhan and George Aslan on Monday.

Speaking here, DEM Party Batman Provincial Co-Chair Songül Korkmaz condemned the attacks on North and East Syria that have been continuing since 27 November and said, “The gangs have launched a war against democratic life. No matter how long the war continues, we will stand with the people of Rojava until the end. In 2014, when ISIS continued its attacks on Kobanê, President Erdoğan of the AKP said ‘Kobanê is about to fall’. But the people embraced their will. Kobanê did not fall. We are here today to support Rojava. As in Nusaybin, a great struggle continues in all cities. Until this dirty war ends, we will continue our protests here to embrace our will.”

‘We will continue to voice our objection,’ Songül Korkmaz said, adding, “We know that every war is waged on the lives of women and children first. Children and women are the ones who suffer the most from war. The lives of all civilians must be defended and this war must be ended. We will defend our will until the end. Rojava is our honour. We will protect our honour.”

DEM Party MP Kamuran Tanhan referred to the recent meeting between Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan and his nephew, DEM Party Urfa MP Ömer Öcalan, and recalled Öcalan’s remarks ‘Isolation continues. I have the theoretical and practical power to move this process from the grounds of conflict and violence to the legal and political grounds if the conditions arise’. Tanhan pointed out that the government has not yet taken any steps since the meeting.

“55 days have passed since the meeting and neither the isolation has been lifted nor the war has ended. During the last meeting with Mr Abdullah Öcalan, he stated that he had the power to stop the war. As is known, Rojava is intended to be isolated by the imperialist states today. They want to turn the land of peaceful life into a land of war. We always hold the hand of peace. If the hand extended is sincere, the addressee is clear. We know that the person who will end the war is Mr Abdullah Öcalan. For this reason, the isolation must be lifted as soon as possible. Conditions must be created so that there can be peace,” MP Tanhan stated.