Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) party council member Gültekin Koçdemir describes the current situation in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan with the words: "People have no tears to cry and no strength left to bear the situation. The regime is not able to breathe new life into itself with "heroic songs".

In an interview with ANF, Koçdemir warns that the repression and intimidation policies of the AKP/MHP regime are continuously increasing.

"People rise up despite repression and intimidation"

However, he says, the large turnout at the Newroz resistance festival was a sign, and it is in this spirit that people are preparing for May 1. The HDP politician continues: "Prisons, arrests and detentions have not been enough. People still rise up against the fascist AKP/MHP system. Newroz has shown that.  The regime also knows that we are able to transfer the power we received on Newroz to May Day."

"Every bullet that is fired means greater poverty"

Establishing a close link between war and economic crisis, Koçdemir continues, "We all know that every plane that takes off, every bullet that is fired, will further deepen poverty. We must make the people of Turkey understand that war means impoverishment and tears, and that war cannot prevent them. We must make them understand that Turkey has maneuvered itself into a dead end. On May Day, our main message will be that war brings nothing but death, destruction and poverty. As socialists and revolutionaries in western Turkey, we must do everything in our power against war, whether in the café, on the street or in all other areas of life."

"Only capital profits from war"

Koçdemir points out that war has many dimensions and that a large part of society is practically unable to survive. He concludes with regard to the 2023 elections by saying, "The regime sees war as the only way out of its situation, and it is trying to re-establish itself in parliament with old arguments, but that time has passed. Now people have no more tears to cry and no more strength to bear this situation. There is no way to breathe new life into the regime through heroic songs. Where poverty is getting worse, only capital is profiting from the war."