Yesterday a long march was started by 200 internationalists from Luxembourg to Strasbourg via Geneva demanding freedom for Abdullah Ocalan and an end of the Turkish invasion attacks against Afrin.

The 200 participants in the nine-day march come from 17 different countries, including Argentina, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Germany, France and Belgium.

The march started with a demonstration in front of the European Court of Justice, where Nursel Kılıç from the Kurdish Women's Movement in Europe (TJK-E) first informed about the purpose of the march leading from Luxembourg to Strasbourg via Geneva. "As internationalist activists, we will walk hundreds of kilometers in protest against the isolation of Abdullah Ocalan and the Turkish attacks on Afrin. We want to make the public in Europe aware of these issues. "From the US, the EU and the UN, the internationalists called for a clear stance against the actions of the Turkish state, which should include concrete sanctions”, said Nursel Kılıç.

Afterwards, representatives from different countries took the floor and explained their motivation to participate in the action. Dr. Daniel Marez from the Argentine group said he wanted to support the Kurdish liberation struggle and care at the same time as a doctor for the health of the activists.

Daniel Duritti, speaking on behalf of a group from Portugal, said: "We are in the march because we want to contribute to the release of Abdullah Ocalan and to promote the project of democratic confederalism."

Klara Barselona said: "We came with 95 people from Catalonia, the Basque Country, Andalusia, the Canaries, Galicia and Spain to show solidarity with the Kurdish people. We are in solidarity with Abdullah Ocalan, who has been in prison for 19 years."

Lise B. from the France Group said: "We are here because we find ourselves in democratic confederalism and we support the Kurdish struggle for women's rights."

For the Scandinavian group Niclas Turner said: "We want to show that the Kurdish people are not alone. We think that the project of democratic confederalism is workable and deserves to be known in the world. "

Vincenzo K. from Italy said in his speech that the Kurds had campaigned for all humanity in Rojava: "They defeated the IS and earned solidarity with it. That's why we want to announce that we are always on the side of the Kurdish people. "

Cansu Özdemir, co-chair of the Hamburg Left Group, also gave a speech in which she said: "The Rojava system is built on the paradigm of Abdullah Ocalan and has become a source of hope for all the peoples of the region. It is intolerable that on the one hand he represents a hope for humanity and on the other hand he has been held in prison for 19 years. That's why this action is so important. "

After the rally, the march started. The activists had a 17-kilometer walk ahead of them and spent the night in Thionville, France.