The protest organized by Kurdish Women’s Movement Europe (TJK-E), Kurdish Democratic Congress Europe (KCDK-E), Peoples’ Democratic Congress Europe (HDK-E) and Democratic United Forces started in Gare Du Nord in Brussels early in the morning. The crowd marched approximately 3 km to the city center and held a rally in Schuman square in front of the European Union Council. 10 thousand people carrying posters of Selahattin Demirtaş, Figen Yüksekdağ and other arrested MPs and Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan chanted slogans against AKP. HDP MPs Ertuğrul Kürkçü, Tuba Hezer and Faysal Sarıyıldız, KONGRA-GEL Co-chair Remzi Kartal, KCK Executive Council Member Zübeyir Aydar, former HDP MP Özdal Uçar and Kemal Aktaş and representatives from Kurdish and Democratic institutions attended the protest.

SARIYILDIZ: THIS PEOPLE LEARNED OF RESISTANCE FROM MAZLUM’S

HDP Şırnak MP Faysal Sarıyıldız gave the opening speech in the rally. Sarıyıldız mentioned the Turkish state’s massacres in Kurdistan and said: “This state bombed our cities, they burned people alive in basements. But they couldn’t achieve what they wanted. The Kurdish people have not surrendered. They resisted against fascism, and they continue to resist. We inherited this tradition of resistance from Mazlum Doğan, Kemal Pir and Hayri Durmuş, who didn’t surrender, who resisted in Amed dungeons in 1980. And today as well, the children of this people resist. History has showed us that powers that are strained, that can’t find a solution resort to such brutality. Hitler did the same thing in these parts of the world.”

KÜRKÇÜ: EITHER WE WILL BE EQUALS OR THEY WILL LOSE

After Sarıyıldız, HDP İzmir MP Ertuğrul Kürkçü took the stand. Expressing that they gathered for their co-chairs, Kürkçü said: “We gather here today to save Selahattin Demirtaş, Figen Yüksekdağ, Gülten Kışanak, Fırat Anlı, Sebahat Tuncel and Kamuran Yüksek and Leader Apo from the hands of tyrants, to achieve freedom for Kurdistan and Turkey, to shout our resolve to the world. Today our people are facing two paths. We will either bow down before Tayyip Erdoğan and his cruel gang, or we fight and achieve our freedom together. They may banish us from the parliament. But we were elected by the people’s vote. We will shout in the streets. As long as we have your support, we will be here on the streets, in the squares. We will fight and shout out for freedom. We opened new living spaces in Turkey and Kurdistan, we strived for equality. If those in power in Turkey accepted that, it could have been a democratic and equal country. But they declared war. And we are here to say that either we will be equal, or you won’t be either.”

Kürkçü also criticized countries in the European Union and said: “They spoiled AKP. They started to speak up when it started affecting them. We call on countries in the European Union to stop AKP.”

KARTAL: AKP ATTACKS OUR PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY’RE CORNERED

KONGRA-GEL Co-chair Remzi Kartal stated that the Turkish state wanted to defeat the Kurdish Freedom Movement with the alliances they build, and continued: “That is what they wanted in Dersim and in history as well. But they were wrong. Today in all four parts, the resistance of Leader Apo, our guerilla and our people continue. This voice is spreading all over the world. Especially in Rojava and Northern Kurdistan, the Turkish state is in a great panic. That is the reason for these attacks. Because they are afraid. The reason for the arrests of MPs, mayors, journalists and Kurdish institutions’ administrators. The state doesn’t attack because they’re strong, it attacks our people because it’s in duress and it’s cornered. Like we defeated ISIS gangs in Rojava, we will void this concept for their boss Erdoğan and Bahçeli in Northern Kurdistan.”

DİCLE: AKP’S END IS IN THE TRASH OF HISTORY

DTK Co-chair Hatip Dicle also gave a speech and criticized the Turkish state and Erdoğan. Dicle said: “As a member of the İmralı committee, I can clearly say that Mr. Öcalan displayed a great patience so we wouldn’t come to this today. But the century old monist, Turkist and Islamist line came back from the dead and unfortunately, with them forcing it, today there is a great war in Kurdistan and Turkey. They wanted this war. And they will lose for sure in this war. Because fascism and dictatorship has never been eternally successful anywhere. Maybe they had power temporarily. But they lost. The end of dictators like Hitler or Saddam has been the trash of history. AKP fascism will end up the same.”

TJK-E AND SKB: WE MUST FIGHT UNITED AGAINST FASCISM

European Parliament (EP) MP Mare De Mermalie also criticized AKP’s policies and strongly condemned the arrest of HDP MPs. Mermalie expressed solidarity with the Kurdish people.

Şafak Arabacı spoke on behalf of HDK-E and condemned the arrest of HDP MPs. Democratic United Forces representative Çetin Yaman called on all living in Europe to take to the streets against the developments.

TJK-E and Socialist Women’s Union pointed out the following in their joint statement: “We must protect our values, primarily as women, against the invasion maneuver developed by fascism in every aspect of life. We don’t have any other options. Organizing the united front against invasion and a united fight against fascism is our fundamental responsibility in history."