The Executive Council of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) released a statement on the latest wave of racist attacks against Kurds in various parts of Turkey.

The statement published on Thursday includes the following:

“In the past few days, attacks against Kurds have taken place in various cities in Turkey. We express our condolences to the family of Hakim Dal, who was martyred in one of these attacks, and wish a speedy recovery to all those injured. Since the beginning of the Kurdish people's struggle for freedom and since the increasing uprisings in Kurdistan and Turkey in the 1990s, attacks on Kurds in Turkey have taken place regularly.

There are hundreds of examples of such attacks, often resulting in lynchings. Recently, these attacks, which result in deaths and injuries, have intensified. Attacks increased sharply before and during this year's Muslim Eid, indicating that they were deliberately organized. The recent attacks, which began with the killing of Deniz Poyraz at the HDP center in the city of Izmir, continue. A few days ago, a Kurdish family was attacked in Afyon. Attempts were made to lynch the women and men of the family. Torture and injuries were inflicted. Shortly before the Muslim Eid, Kurds were attacked in the center of Ankara, injuring numerous Kurds, two of them seriously. Most recently, in a village near Konya, Hakim Dal was murdered by fascist attackers in front of his relatives. Shortly before that, a Kurdish family had been attacked in Konya, with several family members sustaining serious injuries.

The attacks on Kurds in Turkey are directly related to the policy that the fascist AKP-MHP government pursues against the Kurdish population. This government has declared all Kurds who stand up for their Kurdish identity and demand freedom to be enemies. It has also made the HDP,
which advocates a democratic solution to the Kurdish question, its enemy and a constant target of attack. All democratic forces and peoples of Turkey, especially the Kurds who have repeatedly voted for the HDP, thus face massive threats. It is well known that the hostility of the AKP-MHP
government towards the PKK with its struggle for freedom that has been going on for almost half a century and its leader is an expression of its hostility towards all Kurds. Because he has promoted the Kurdish people's desire for freedom, Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] is today subjected to massive pressure and isolation.

All these attacks are taking place because the Kurdish people insist on their freedom. Despite all the pressure and attacks, the Kurdish people insist on their struggle for freedom and democracy. The aim of the attacks is to dissuade the Kurds from their desire for freedom and democracy. The attacks on individual families and individuals represent attacks on the entire people. This is an attempt to destroy the Kurdish people's insistence on a free and democratic life. The goal is that not a single Kurd calls himself or herself Kurdish, speaks Kurdish or openly lives out his or her Kurdish identity! These intimidation attacks serve the goal of a Kurdish genocide and are intended first and foremost to achieve the self-denial of the Kurds. Therefore, planned and organized attacks are taking place to achieve this goal.

Whenever the AKP-MHP government makes threats against the Kurds, the HDP and the democratic forces, this is understood as an order by certain people who then organize attacks. There is a special war center that creates and organizes these plans to intimidate the Kurds and orders their implementation. Units exist within the MIT and the MHP that are tasked with the practical implementation of this special war. Therefore, most of the people who carry out the attacks against Kurds are also connected to the MHP. Thus, the current anti-Kurdish attacks that are taking place everywhere are commissioned by the anti-Kurdish AKP-MHP alliance. It is always Tayyip Erdoğan who orders the attacks on the Kurdish people and opposition forces. By claiming that the Kurds are not part of Turkey, they have been made the target of a wide variety of attacks.

Another aim of the attacks is to hinder the joint struggle of the Kurdish and Turkish people, as well as the democratic forces. The attacks in Suruç and Ankara in 2015 were also aimed at preventing this democratic unity. Because the genocidal colonial power considers the common struggle of the Kurdish people and the peoples of Turkey for democracy as its own end. Therefore, it tries to weaken the democratic forces and the Kurds by preventing their unity. Thus, it wants to make
the Kurdish genocide easier. If the genocidal colonial power wants to prevent the unity of the Kurdish people and the peoples of Turkey with these attacks, the democratic forces of Turkey must strengthen their solidarity with the Kurds and the common struggle with them. So they
have to lead the struggle against fascism side by side with the Kurdish people.

The Kurdish people must be aware that these attacks are aimed at genocide. These are planned attacks that will continue in the future. With this special war policy, Kurdistan is being depopulated while Kurds everywhere face intimidation attacks. Therefore, one goal of the Konya attack is to intimidate and drive Kurds in Central Anatolia off their land. The goal of all these attacks is to carry out a genocide.

If the Kurds want to live, they must defend themselves against all these attacks - just as all living beings do. Through their individual defense, they defend the existence of the entire Kurdish people. The Kurds have the necessary courage to fight back against these attacks. So they must not allow themselves to be victimized. Of course, we want to live together peacefully with the peoples of Turkey everywhere. We do not cultivate enmity towards any other people. But in case of attacks, we must know how to defend ourselves. Therefore, it is necessary that we strengthen our organization everywhere. Organization is the greatest self-defense force. Only through organizing and a clear stance will these attacks be repelled. Undoubtedly, the Kurds must also develop a common stance with the democratic forces in order to lead the struggle against the chauvinist-fascist gangs. The intimidation and genocidal attacks against the Kurdish people will never go unanswered. All those who organize and carry out these attacks will be held accountable. We call on all the Kurdish people to show solidarity in such situations and to intensify their struggle for freedom and democracy everywhere in order to put an end to the attacks.”