The Palagonia Municipality in Catania province of Italy has awarded Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan with ‘honorary citizenship’.

The official ceremony which also coincided with events to mark Italy's Liberation Day, April 25, was attended by Palagonia Mayor Savatore Valerio Marletta, municipal committee and council members, 92-year-old Nicolo di Salvo who fought fascism in Italy, Özlem Tanrıkulu from the Kurdish Information Bureau of Italy, as well as students and teachers in the town.

Speaking here, Palagonia Mayor Savatore Valerio Marletta said there was parallelism between the Kurdish and Italian people's fight against fascism, and the struggle of the Kurdish people must therefore be supported with solidarity during this process of great importance.

Marletta drew attention to the Kurdish people's struggle led by women, adding; "As the leader of the Kurdish folk, Öcalan stands right at the center of this struggle. We award the Kurdish leader with honorary citizenship for the great resistance he wages despite being in isolation in İmralı."

Marletta also demanded that the document of this honorary citizenship be conveyed to Öcalan himself.

Speaking after, Nicolo di Salvo, a partisan who fought fascism in Italy, said that; "As a fighter, I am proud of the armed struggle Öcalan is waging. He should never accept to surrender. I see the Kurdish people's struggle as a part of me myself."

The official ceremony continued with reading out of the letters explaining why the anti-fascist struggle must go on, and presentation of plaquets to Nicolo di Salvo and the Kurdish Information Bureau of Italy.