The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) is organizing a two-track democracy march to Ankara, beginning from the western province of Edirne and the southeastern province of Hakkari, in response to the revocation of the parliamentary status of HDP MPs Leyla Güven and Musa Farisoğulları and the Erdoğan-AKP regime's continuing crackdown on our party and the opposition in general.

As part of a broader campaign titled “The Democratic Struggle Program”, this march aims to meet with different sections of society and deliver their demands to Ankara.

HDP co-chair Mithat Sancar, DTK (Democratic Society Congress) co-chair Berdan Öztürk, DBP (Democratic Regions Party) co-chair Saliha Aydeniz, HDK (Peoples’ Democratic Congress) co-spokesperson Sedat Şenoğlu, SYKP (Socialist Reconstruction Party) co-chair Canan Yüce, ESP (Socialist Party of the Oppressed) deputy co-chair Beycan Taşkıran, HDP and HDK Central Executive Board (MYK) and Partyr Assembly (PM) members and deputies have gathered at the HDP Hakkari provincial branch office in the morning, chanting slogans “Shoulder to shoulder against fascism” and “Long live the HDP resistance”.

The party building was besieged by the police in the early morning hours. Armored vehicles were deployed across the city, barriers erected on all streets and snipers stationed on the buildings as the HDP group prepared to launch the march.

HDP co-chair Mithat Sancar spoke to the press in front of the party building and denounced the Turkish state’s political coup against his party and seizure of people’s will.

Putting emphasis on HDP’s insistence on democratic politics, he said that the government, however, tried to suffocate politics and did everything to keep itself in power. He stressed that they were there to manifest the will of the people who voted for the HDP but had their elected representatives unlawfully removed from the office.

Sancar pointed out that the appointment of trustees to HDP-run municipalities was an attack on the dignity of the Kurdish people. He also spoke about the removal of Kurdish language from municipal services, saying; “Reclaiming our language and identity is above all a struggle for dignity.”

“Our march is for justice. The government uses judiciary to eliminate the opposition, which is the a majör step to undermine a society, both politically and morally. We are here for justice. We march for Leyla Güven, Musa Farisoğulları and Enis Berberoğlu whose membership in the parliament was unlawfully revoked. We march for unlawfully imprisoned Figen Yüksekdağ, Selahattin Demirtaş, Abdullah Zeydan, Gültan Kışanak, all journalists and intellectuals behind bars. We march for Osman Kavala. We march for a democratic solution to the Kurdish question. Let’s resolve the Kurdish question on democratic grounds with the participation of all those who side with justice. We call on the government; the Kurdish question cannot be resolved with bombs, tanks, violence and imprisonment. Those who have tried this before ended up in the dustbin of history. Every single bomb and bullet will only deepen the wounds, suspend peace and deprive the people of their livelihood. We march for peace, for freedom and also for labor. Let’s join hands and march for peace, a democratic solution to the Kurdish question and equal co-existence of all peoples in this country. We march to keep hope alive. Hopelessness is surrender and is caused by silence. Using our democratic right, we object, raise our voice and hope. HDP is the hope. It is the hope of the common struggle of peoples.”

Sancar stressed that: “We insist on politics and will never leave the grounds of democratic politics. We will never give up exercising our democratic rights. We call on all peoples, all those who defend justice and peace; let’s stop this course of events all together. Not a single citizen, community or faith group in this country is doomed to be ruled this way. The people of this country don’t deserve this order. These lands want freedom. This path will eventually lead to freedom, justice, democracy and peace.”

Sancar continued: “We will never lose as long as we stand tall together with our people. We know how to resist. Our party and friends have been subject to all kinds of atrocity so far. Still, we know how to stand tall. Now is the time to win. It is time to build peace, justice and freedom in this country. We are determined and we promise to do anything we can to this end.”

After Sancar’s speech, the HDP group moved to the convoy to start the march. While police forces have obstructed their advance with barriers, the party members continue waiting to start out.