YPG Press Office released a statement saluting the march launched by internationalists from Luxembourg to Strasbourg via Geneva demanding freedom for Abdullah Ocalan and an end of the Turkish invasion attacks against Afrin.

YPG said “we salute this honorable move by European youth as we confront fierce attacks by the Turkish occupation forces and the modern al-Qaida affiliated to Turkish army.”

Full text of the YPG statement is as follows;

“This march proves that ethnical or any other kinds of differences cannot be an obstacle to humanitarian feelings. Quite the reverse, as the peoples unionize against invasion and cruelty of fascism it is much easier to defeat the attacks by fascists against progressive humanity.

As you know we face illegitimate intense attacks by Turkish occupation forces and their mercenary group al-Qaida in Afrin Canton. The attacks mainly aim to wipe our democratic way of life based on gender equality principles out. Many civilians were killed and many others wounded so far. Thousands of civilians are in risk as indiscriminate air and artillery attacks unceasingly strike the city. Turkey destroys the infrastructure system and historical sites to ruin the life and culture of our society.

Turkey commits war crimes in a city that hosts more than 500.000 refugees from all over Syria. In order to protect the lives of these, thousands of members of People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) are battling heroically against the attempts to kill the democracy and gender-equality principles of our society. YPJ and YPJ today defend the rest of the humanity against extremism in Afrin, just like we did in Kobanê and Raqqa against ISIS. We believe in that the world will not continue to watch the civilian massacre by Turkey and its extremist groups and will ask them to pay for their crimes. Unless it is done, Turkey increasingly becomes a safe home for terrorists and a grave threat for the progressive humanity.

Comrades;

Even though you are far from Afrin, we feel the revolutionary excitement and joy inside you. Just like you did what was necessary in Kobanê and became the victory partner of YPG-YPJ fighters against ISIS, we are sure that you will once again uncover the crimes committed by Turkey in Afrin. We hope that the screams of Afrin’s wounded children will not let the world sleep in peace. We hope that you will feel Afrin people’s situation and will join our fight in the international area.

On this basis, as the YPG General Command in Afrin we once again salute your march and resistance. Our fighters’ and people’s hearts will be with you in your rally. With the strength that we receive from your stance, we will fulfill our duty to defeat terrorism once again.”