On the occasion of the 26th anniversary of the 15 February International Conspiracy against PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, a march and rally was held in Strasbourg, France with the participation of thousands of people. Kurds and their friends who came together from all over Europe for the demonstration, which had been prepared for months, demanded the physical freedom of Abdullah Öcalan and the democratic solution of the Kurdish issue.

 

 

Zübeyde Zümrüt, Co-chiar of the Congress of Democratic Societies of Kurdistan in Europe (KCDK-E), evaluated the message that emerged from the rally and the future plans.

 

Emphasising that after the 15 February 1999 conspiracy, the Kurdish people have been in uninterrupted resistance, Zübeyde Zümrüt noted that this resistance and demand for freedom peaked in the 26th year of the conspiracy. Zübeyde Zümrüt said, "Every year, Kurds take to the fields all over the world to protest the 15 February Conspiracy and demand the freedom of Leader Apo. But this year, especially with the 'Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, democratic solution to the Kurdish issue' campaign that started on 10 October 2023, our friends also took part in the work for the liberation of the Leader. Because they know that there is a deadlock due to the crisis of the capitalist system, the war in the Middle East and that the paradigm put forward by Leader Apo is a salvation for the whole world."

 

Stating that many different groups participated in the 15 February rally, Zübeyde Zümrüt said, "Leader Apo's Imrali resistance and the struggle and resistance of the people have become a line of freedom. The rally showed how the peoples are united around the Leader, how Leader Apo's paradigm unites the peoples and how this struggle is growing."

 

DEMAND FOR PHYSICAL FREEDOM OF ABDULLAH ÖCALAN

 

Zübeyde Zümrüt said, "With the talks with Mr. Abdullah Öcalan on 15 February this year, there was an approach and hope that the sun would shine again after 26 years and turn into freedom. However, there was a great anger against the fact that Leader Apo has been held on İmralı Island under heavy isolation conditions for a long time and that this has not been implemented despite the right to hope. Another thing that came to light at the rally was that the campaign for 'Freedom for Leader Apo, status for Kurdistan' had a worldwide impact. The participants in our work have serious demands for the physical freedom of Mr Öcalan."

 

Zübeyde Zümrüt stated that the struggle and resistance with the campaign opened the doors of İmralı and said, "The talks are promising. As a matter of fact, this hope and enthusiasm was reflected in the rally. People from all over the world chanted 'Bê Serok jiyan nabe (There is no life without Leader)' in different languages. This message was emphasised in the banners they carried and in the speeches made at the rally. We opened the doors, we heard the voice of Leader Apo. Leader Apo has very serious preparations for the solution of the Kurdish issue. This creates a serious excitement among the people and shows that we should embrace the struggle more and strengthen the hand of our Leader."

 

'PEOPLE WANT TO INVOLVE THEMSELVES IN THE PROCESS'

 

Zübeyde Zümrüt stated that the people wanted to involve themselves in the process and said, "During the previous solution process, there was a serious complacency both within us and within the society. There was an approach that put all the burden on the back of Leader Apo. But this period, during our work in the field, our one-to-one meetings and the public meetings we held on the occasion of 15 February, we observed that there was a desire, consciousness and strong hope for everyone to participate in the process. The message was twofold; firstly, the mass participation of the people was important in terms of embracing and accelerating this process. On another issue, in the statements made by friends other than Kurds there, the only agenda was to ensure the physical freedom of the Kurdish people's leader. The most important common message at the rally was that Turkey should immediately implement the right to hope and ensure the physical freedom of Mr Öcalan. Another important message was the immediate cessation of the attacks on Rojava by Turkey and its gangs. Our work and struggle will continue until we get results. We will continue this struggle with different plans and studies."

 

MA / Esra Solin Dal