Kongra Star in solidarity with Leyla Güven: Resistance is life

"This fascism cannot break the voice and the will that shout “resistance is life!," said Kongra Star, expressing their support for the struggle of women in the person of Leyla Güven.

Kongra Star Coordination released a statement on Thursday’s revocation of parliamentary immunity of HDP MPs Leyla Güven and Musa Farisoğulları and CHP MP Enis Berberlioğlu, all of whom were then put in jail last night.

The statement includes the following:

“Yesterday an anti-democratic act took place in Turkey in front of the people of Turkey and the world. The fascist and oppressive AKP made a scandalous decision against the esteemed Kurdish politicians Leyla Güven, Musa Farisoğulları and the CHP deputy Enis Berberlioğu. With this anti-democratic decision, the fascist regime has shown again its hostility towards democracy and human rights. It was confirmed that this regime is the enemy of peoples, women and the values of freedom and equality. The AKP is showing its aggressive policy against the existence of freedom of the Kurdish people and the struggle of women at every opportunity.

The AKP is oppressive, selfish, dominant and the enemy of all social forces. It is particularly hostile to women. Until today, there are no limits to the AKP’s attacks against women activists. The AKP used its fascist method to deprive Leyla Güven and two other members of parliament of their parliamentary rights. These aggressive attempts against women politicians and the Kurdish population are equivalent to an operation of political massacre. In this way, they want to eliminate the entire dynamics of the opposition in Turkey. The AKP has arrested and tortured thousands of people and, in the meantime, the political and cultural genocides in Turkey have become a normal state of affairs. With these practices, they want to arrest the will of the community.

Certainly, in this process, those who bravely oppose this murderous policy and the enemy of women and organise social opposition have been subjected to a great deal of violence and pressure. This attack is directed against the elected will of the community. These attacks are, to call a spade a spade, a coup. With this, the AKP wants to continue its fascist, monotheist, sexist and racist policies. These attempts also mean war against the social opposition. Mrs Leyla Güven had strongly resisted the darkness of AKP fascism.

We know very well that the AKP’s decision against the will of the resistant women, today for exactly these women, is a decision to expand their resistance. This attack has not just been going on today, but since the day the AKP came to power. By arresting women, female co-chairmen, banning women’s organisations and arresting female leaders, they want to criminalise these very women who are resisting. The fascist Erdoğan and his party know very well that they can only achieve their fascist goals if the struggle and the will of women is destroyed. These are the reasons of Erdogan and AKP for the brutal fascist attacks. As we as women know, we can only stop violence against women, harassment, rape and torture by organisation.

Just as Leyla Güven, who led the 200-day hunger strike to break the isolation, resisted and with her struggle pushed back the oppression, today both women and society will react to the fascism of the AKP-MHP with the same fighting spirit. As Leyla Güven once said, fascism cannot break the voice of those who say: “resistance is life”.

We as Kongra Star condemn these AKP-MHP attacks. We, the women from Rojava, are aware of this oppression. Because the atrocities against women in Afrin is exactly the same politics. We say that this decision is against the will of the people and women in terms of fraternity, equality and freedom, as well as a denial and disregard for democracy.

We believe that the resisting women will not allow the murderous AKP-MHP regime to perpetuate sexism and racism. The people of Turkey, the women’s movement and the democratic environment will show a strong reaction. We have once condemned this act of the fascist regime and expressed our support for the struggle of women in the person of the honourable Leyla Güven.

Long live the will of the fighting woman!

Long live the line of freedom and unity of people!”