The internationalist week of action for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan has ended in Freiburg with a loud, militant and colorful demonstration. The week was organized as a pandemic alternative to the annual "Long March" to Strasbourg and continued for nine days from Hanau to Frankfurt, Mainz, Darmstadt, Mannheim, Esslingen and Stuttgart to Freiburg. Participants were mainly young people from Kurdistan, Germany, Catalonia and Turkey.

Numerous people from the local Kurdish community also participated in the Freiburg demonstration on the occasion of the protests against the 15 February plot. There were numerous speeches by internationalists about their motives for coming all this way to stand up for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan in this cold weather: They demand conditions for him to live and work freely as the leader of a legitimate movement, contributing to the solution of the Kurdish question and the democratization of Turkey and the Middle East.

“Öcalan is a key figure for the solution of almost all conflicts in the Middle East”

Members of the preparatory committee stressed in a speech that Öcalan is considered a key figure for the resolution of almost all conflicts in the region and his freedom is therefore of existential importance. They said, among other things, that, "In times when isolation in society is being pushed forward in the name of the pandemic, it is all the more important to confront the arbitrary repression of the state. There are the greatest efforts to expand the isolation on Imrali, which has now been practiced for 22 years, to the society itself. Thus, to stand up for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan is to stand up for peace in the Middle East, but at the same time to smash isolation, fascism and repression."

Criticism of Germany for supporting Turkish war policy

There were also solidarity contributions from the party DIE LINKE, in which attention was drawn above all to Germany's role in the international conspiracy against Öcalan. It was pointed out that the German government which had been involved in the abduction of the PKK founder from Kenya to Turkey, continues its role today with its anti-Kurdish repression policy and support for the war of the Turkish state against the Kurdish people. As in the days before, there were again clashes with the police. Four people were temporarily detained.

“The freedom movement cannot be stopped”

The end of the day was celebrated in the spirit of the Kurdish motto "You cannot darken our sun!" and cultural contributions. Despite attacks and repression that the internationalist action week and its participants faced, it was signaled that the freedom movement cannot be stopped. An internationalist from Catalonia summed up, "Our goal is to celebrate Öcalan's upcoming 72nd birthday in April together with him in freedom." The preparatory committee plans to issue a statement in a few days, looking back on the week of action and also addressing the problems they faced.