“No way for Fascism! Freedom for Öcalan and all political prisoners” is the slogan under which Kurdish and Turkish people in Germany will come together in Dusseldorf city on Saturday.

Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan is held in isolation on the Imrali island for 19 years. In the last 1,5 years, no life sign of Öcalan came to public and the pressure put on all other political prisoners is increasing daily. This situation is worrying Kurds, leftists and democratic forces and protests are organized in Turkey, Kurdistan and across Europe. Particularly in the last one month, Kurds have been protesting everywhere, beginning with the European institutions in Strasbourg, against the isolation imposed on Öcalan. Today, a common demonstration will be organized by 43 Kurdish, Turkish, Armenian, Assyrian, Syriac and German organizations, under the slogan “No way for Fascism! Freedom for Öcalan and all political prisoners”. The demonstration will not only protest the Turkish state’s repressive practices, but also the German state’s attitude, whilst the restrictions dictated by the German police are increasingly causing objection.

THE DEMONSTRATION WILL START FROM TWO DIRECTIONS

The demonstration, which will see participants from all across Europe, will start in two arms, one red, the other green. The green arm, involving north Germany, south Germany and France will come together at 10 a.m. in front of the NRW State Parliament. The red arm of the demonstration will be joined by participants from Austria, Sweden, Belgium, Netherlands and the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. This arm starts at 10 a.m. in front of the central train station. Each of the arms will pass through the city center and then gather at the rally grounds. It is expected that many Kurdish, Turkish, German and English politicians will hold speeches here.

“ÖCALAN CANNOT BE HELD IN ISOLATION”

Organizing Committee Member and KCDK-E (European Kurdish Democratic Society Congress) Co-President Yüksel Koc stated that this demonstration, which tens of thousands of people are expected to attend, was commonly organized by 43 organizations in order to protest the policies of the Turkish state.

“The founder of Democratic Modernity, which gives hope to peoples in the Middle East and the world, cannot be held in isolation” Yüksel Koc stated and added that Öcalan’s paradigm of the Democratic Nation provides solutions based on freedom and equality to the Kurds first of all, but also to all peoples in the Middle East and the world. Remarking that Öcalan is a leader who provides solutions to the current problems of humanity, Koc pointed out that the Turkish state’s attitude against Öcalan targets predominantly his views of freedom and democracy. Koc added: “The reason for the international powers, the Turkish state and regional reactionary forces to conduct a dirty war against Öcalan is his libertarian way of thinking. Therefore, all Kurdish people and all progressive forces need to defend Abdullah Öcalan in order to fulfill their human, ethic and patriotic duties. Being honorable means to defend Öcalan.”

“THE AKP TURNED TURKEY INTO AN OPEN PRISON”

We will take to the streets to say stop to the isolation of whole Turkey and invasion-destruction of Kurdistan by the AKP/MHP fascism that thinks they can stop the freedom march by holding Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan in isolation. They think they can get somewhere by filling the prisons in Turkey and Kurdistan with politicians, intellectuals and majors, by turning the country into an open prison and by treating people in inhuman ways. The people of Kurdistan and their friends will not allow fascism to proceed and in the end, the peoples will win. All political prisoners urgently need to become free and the dungeons need to be emptied”.

“WE MUST RESPOND TO THE BANS”

Referring to the German state’s restrictive policies against the Kurds, Koc stated: “We want to remind the Merkel government of democratic norms and universal values and warn them to stop imitating Erdogan’s policies that are hostile to the Kurds. They have introduced arbitrary bans upon our demonstrations. Flags, books, and even the food and water of our people have been prohibited. We condemned this fascist attitude. Our people in Europe and all democratic forces need to give the strongest response to these restrictions by joining the demonstration”.

Koc also criticized the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) and the Council of Europe and stressed that a CPT committee must urgently visit Öcalan on İmralı.

Koc stated that they will not remain silent against the German state’s bans and that they will continue to give a democratic and legal struggle against these policies after the demonstration as well.

“EVERYBODY SHOULD COME TO DUSSELDORF”

KCDK Co-President Yüksel Koc reminded that 4 November is also the day when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan imprisoned the Co-chairs of the HDP, Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yüksekdag and took them as hostages. Koc added that “all our constituents, institutions and members, foremost women and the youth, should come to and mobilize for our main European demonstration tomorrow in Dusseldorf to say ‘STOP’ to the AKP/MHP fascism and to protest the attitude of the German government, which is criminalizing the Kurds and their democratic forces. Let us not give way to fascism and criminalization. Tomorrow, everybody should come to Dusseldorf.”

THE DEMONSTRATION IS ORGANIZED BY 43 ORGANIZATIONS

The organizations, which organize the demonstration “no way for Fascism! Freedom for Öcalan and all political prisoners”, are:

1. KCDK-E / European Kurdish Democratic Society Congress

2. AvEG-KON/ European Confederation of Oppressed Immigrants

 3. TJK-E/ European Kurdish Women’s Movement

4. ATIK/ Confederation of Workers from Turkey in Europe

5. NAV-DEM / Democratic Kurdish Society Center

6. HDK-A / People’s Democratic Congress - Europe

7. BAF / European Peace Forum Against War and Dictatorship

8. ADHK / European Democratic Rights Confederation

9. YENİ KADIN (New Women)

10. YDG / New Democratic Youth

11. SKB / Socialist Women’s Unity

12. YS / Young Struggle

13. Yaşanacak Dünya (A World Worth Living)

14. MDDK / Mesopotamian Democratic Change’s Congress

15. FEDA / Federation of Democratic Alevis

16. ADEF / European Democratic Dersim Unions Federation

17. Ciwanên Azad and Jinen Ciwanên Azad

18. SYKP / Socialist Party of Refoundation

19. TAJE-E/ Movement of Êzidî Women in Europe

20. FDG / European Dersim Associations Federation

21. CIK / Kurdistan Islamic Society

22. NAV-YEK / European Êzidî Associations

23. Green Left Party

24. Revolutionary Party

25. ISKU

26. YXK / Kurdistan Students Union

27. KOMEW Families of the Disappeared and Victims

28. Shengal Êzidî Assembly Dervaye Welat

29. European Maras Initiative

30. European Kürecik People’s Initiative

31. Dersim Reconstruction Initiative

32. Düsseldorf for Kurdistan

33. IL- Intervenstionische Linke

34. FIDEF / Federation of Workers Unions from Turkey

35. TATORT - KURDISTAN

36. AKKUSTAN

37. KV Die Linke Düsseldorf

38. NRW Landesverband Die Linke

39. PYD Europe

40. Zagros Platform

41. PEKAN / Platform of Central Anatolia Kurds

42. NOR-ZARTOK

43. Platform of the Prisoners’ Voice