Karayılan: The People Of Kobanê Will Not Be Abandoned

(ANF/BEHDİNAN) Peoples Defense Central Headquarters Commander Murat Karayılan has addressed  guerilla Newroz celebrations in the Kandil mountains, where he made a call that the people of Kobanê not to be left alone in the face of attacks from ISIS gangs.

The ceremony was attended by hundreds of guerrillas and took place amid an atmosphere of great enthusiasm.  Karayılan was joined by Peoples Defense Central Headquarters Member Hemrin Dersim, HPG Central Committee Member Koçero Urfa, and other HPG and YJA-Star commanders, as well as hundreds of HPG guerrillas.

In his address to the assembly, Karayılan began by stressing the importance of Newroz to the Kurds and others, saying “Newroz is a day of freedom among the Kurdish people and the peoples of the region, a day of struggle, a day of peace and is celebrated as the blessed beginning of Spring. We celebrate this valued day, which Leader Apo has transformed into a day of peace and resistance. In particular those of self-sacrificing spirit and those who have sacrificed themselves in the fires of Newroz exhibit the true meaning of this day. We remember all of our heroic Newroz martyrs and the martyrs of our entire struggle in the person of Çağdaş Kawa Mazlum Doğan. On this sacred day we renew the promise we have made to our martyrs. The fires of Newroz will continue to burn, bringing freedom to the Kurdish people. In the history of the Kurdistan Freedom Struggle Newroz has always been a day of new gains. First among them was the great push which became its beginning. For this Çağdaş Kawa Mazlum Doğan lit a Newroz fire on the Newroz Night on March 21st and carried out his celebrated protest.”

“Newroz,” Karayılan continued “is always a new step and a new push. For this reason Guide Apo took an historic step on Newroz 2013. With his declaration there was a call. With this step Guide Apo wanted to start a new period not only in Turkey and Kurdistan, but in the entire Middle East. He did not want to solve the region’s problems with war but through dialog and political means. As he knew the imperialist Turkish state did not respond positively to his call. We has the HPG and as a movement fulfilled the duties which fell to us. For the process to be a process of a democratic solution our leadership and our movement exerted great effort. The guerrillas did what they needed to for the freedom of Kurdistan. In response to this the AKP government did not take the required steps, and did not allow the process of a democratic solution to pass on to its second phase. For that reason this important process has today come to an impasse.”

“Our people welcome and celebrate Newroz 2014 with a stance that demands freedom for our leadership and for Kurdistan. On Newroz 2014 our people will begin a new push for the freedom of Apo and Kurdistan. Our people want to create a new system, a democratic system and to government themselves. The want to start a new process on this year’s Newroz.”

The People Of Rojava Are Not Alone

Karayılan then drew attention to the attack on  Kobanê earlier this week by criminal gangs, stressing that “today our people are in a state of resistance in Rojava Kurdistan. On this Newroz day mercenary gangs have attacked the Kobanê Canton. In the wake of this the defense units of Kobanê declared a state of emergency. Our people have moved to resist. This resistance is a heroic resistance. On this occasion we want wish our people in the Kobanê Canton and all our people in Rojava a happy Newroz and we salute their resistance. Let everyone know: our heroic people of Kobanê and all our people of Rojava are not alone. Their resistance is the resistance of the entirety of Kurdistan and no one can break this resistance.”

The Elections Are A Push

Karayılan then turned to the upcoming municipal elections at the end of the month in Turkey, saying “our people in North Kurdistan have a local election ahead of them. Our people will take hold of Newroz 2014 as a new push and will bring this approach and will to the elections. Enough already, no one should give their vote to a state party. In the election they should say enough to the imperialists and oppressors and their different practices and should begin a new push forward on Newroz 2014.”