KCDK-E issued a statement calling on everyone "to make our voices heard. For an end to the wars in Kurdistan, Syria and Iraq. For the freedom of Öcalan and all political prisoners. For the rights of workers world."
KCDK-E (Congress of Kurdistan Democratic Communities in Europe) issued a statement to see May Day as the day to "take a stand in the battle of socialism against barbarism: either a future of solidarity and democracy, or a slide into militarism, nationalism and misery."
KCDK-E said: "We are marking May Day at a time of great global upheaval. International powers are intensifying their competition, and authoritarian regimes and neo-colonial interests are threatening entire societies. Global capitalism is not only attacking the working and living conditions of millions of people, but also the environment, the history and the future of entire peoples. In the current situation, May Day represents taking a stand in the battle of socialism against barbarism: either a future of solidarity and democracy, or a slide into militarism, nationalism and misery."
Abdullah Öcalan's peace initiative, hope for an entire region
KCDK-E added: "In the midst of crises and wars, the Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan made a historic statement on February 27, 2025. Despite more than 26 years in solitary confinement on the prison island of Imrali, he called for peace, democracy and freedom in Turkey and the entire region. Öcalan called on the Turkish state to open the way for a free, democratic society, to guarantee the rights of all ethnicities, religions and genders and to end their policies of war and oppression.
The Kurdish question has been the unresolved core of all conflicts in Turkey for decades. Genuine peace, combined with the democratization of the state, would open up new opportunities not only for Kurds, but also for all working people, trade unions, women's movements and minorities to exercise their rights within a free society. Öcalan’s initiative is also a signal against the Turkish state’s neo-Ottoman expansionist policy and its military attacks on Kurdistan, Syria and Iraq. Democratic change in Turkey would have a positive impact on the entire region."
Capitalist wars and the resistance of societies
The statement underlined that "while more and more are being invested in armaments and war machinery worldwide, millions of people are suffering from oppression and conflict. The Turkish state acts as an aggressive regional power that persecutes Kurds in its own country and beyond its borders. This policy would not be possible without the support of NATO and imperialist powers.
Freedom and social justice are not a gift, they have to be fought for. It is up to us workers, feminists and internationalists to unite our struggles and stand together for a world without exploitation, war and oppression."
The statement said that "May Day is the day on which we make our voices heard and express this vision to the world. For an end to the wars in Kurdistan, Syria and Iraq. For the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan and all political prisoners. For the rights of workers worldwide. For a society based on ecology, women’s liberation and radical democracy."
