The International Kurdish Culture Festival, one of the longest-running gatherings of the Kurds living in Europe, will be held for the 30th time this year.

The festival will take place on Saturday, 17 September with the slogan "We will defend Kurdistan against occupation and genocide, we will liberate Leader Öcalan".  Kurds from all over Europe will flock to the Dutch city of Landgraaf.

Belgian Kurdistan Communities Democratic Council (NAV-BEL) co-chair Arife Soysüren and Swiss Democratic Kurdish Council (CDK-S) co-chairs Selma Süren and Ismail Kardaş told ANF that they are waiting for Kurds and their friends to Landgraaf on Saturday and drew attention to the importance of this year's festival.

NAV-BEL co-chair Arife Soysüren, said that the Kurdish people and the Kurdistan Freedom Struggle are going through a difficult process. “This process is accepted as a process of existence or extinction. Therefore, our reactions and stance will determine the course of this process.”

Stating that the freedom guerrillas resisted with great heroism in the mountains of Kurdistan, Soysüren continued: “Our guerrillas rightfully expect us to be their voice. But how much do we fulfil this expectation? How much do we protect the resistance of the guerrillas?”

Buses from 4 cities in Belgium

NAV-BEL co-chair Arife Soysüren also emphasized the importance of the struggle for the physical freedom of Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan. “We need to remind how vital our leader's physical freedom is for us. For this reason, we dedicate the festival to the struggle for his freedom.”

Buses will depart from the cities of Charleroi, Liege, Antwerp and Brussels on 17 September in the morning.

CDK-S: Let’s increase our resistance

Swiss Democratic Kurdish Council (CDK-S) co-chairs Selma Süren and Ismail Kardaş also made a joint statement saying that they are waiting for everyone in Landgraaf. They commend the historical resistance of the Kurdistan Freedom Guerrillas against the invasion attacks carried out by the Turkish state.

The CDK-S co-chairs said: “For decades, in the heart of European civilization, the center of capitalist modernity, Kurds have not given up on their culture, arts and colours. For 30 years, the Kurds have been a source of aesthetics and morale with the tradition of the festival.”