USDAW trade union is participating in an international solidarity campaign for the first time since its establishment in the 1940s.

The decision to support Abdullah Öcalan's freedom campaign was taken by the board of the 430,000-member union.

USDAW said in a statement: “We have decided to support the peaceful campaign for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan and the finding a democratic solution for Turkey and the region. Öcalan's right to appeal for a fair trial and a decision to impose a 19-year prison sentence was rejected. There are serious human rights violations against the Kurdish people and this should be taken as an urgency matter. The release of Öcalan is essential for achieving peace in the region and we are pleased to support this campaign."

Among the supporters of the "Freedom Öcalan" campaign, in England, is the third largest trade union of the country, General Union Trade Union. This union has 630,000 members.

Furthermore, the 20,000-member Transportation Workers' Union (TSSA) is another union that has joined the campaign. The union is organized in almost every area of ​​the transport sector in Britain and Ireland.

Last February, the Durham Miners Association, one of Britain's leading mining unions, announced they too would be joining the Öcalan Freedom Campaign. Joe Winkworth, General President of the Union, and Alan Cummings, Secretary General, announced that the Durham Miners Gala, the festival which has been held uninterruptedly for 134 years in Great Britain, will be dedicated to Öcalan's freedom this year.

Also last February, the English law firm Thompson Solicitors announced that they too would be joining the Öcalan Freedom Campaign. Thompson Solicitors, bringing together 750 lawyers, is at the forefront of important institutions in the trade union struggle.