The International Initiative is looking forward to a strengthened and continuously developing cooperation with the Irish trade unions in a joint struggle against oppression and colonization.
At the 12th Global Solidarity Summer School organized by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) in Sligo, Ireland, the International Initiative “Freedom for Ocalan - Peace in Kurdistan” participated in the two-day conference of the ICTU on 8-9 September 2022. After a warm welcome and opening address by the President of Congress, Kevin Callinan, the floor was opened to discussions on a wide spectrum of topics, such as climate justice, social justice in Colombia, support for Palestine and support for the Kurdish struggle.
As part of the campaign Freedom for Öcalan, a workshop was organized to further stress the severity of the human rights crisis in Turkey and in particular the situation of Abdullah Öcalan. During the workshop, the spokesperson of the International Initiative emphasised how Öcalan’s freedom is connected to the freedom of the Kurdish people but also to the freedom of “each and every one of you”. The workshop discussed Öcalan‘s paradigm not solely limited to finding a solution for the Kurdish problem in the Middle East, but also as a paradigm that should be considered in the conflicts and problems in the country of Ireland and around the world.
As a result of this workshop, the International Initiative is looking forward to a strengthened and continuously developing cooperation with the Irish trade unions in a joint struggle against oppression and colonization. The workshop underlined how, due to the histories of colonisation, both the Irish and Kurdish people are familiar with each other’s struggle and how strength lies in unity.
