Diyarbakir Becoming Kobane

Women in the Sûr district of Diyarbakir, where attacks by Turkish security forces have killed 9 people in recent months, have declared their intentions to take part in the self-defense of the neighborhood, saying that ‘It will be Kurdish women who destroy the AKP’s power” – reports an article from JINHA carried in Özgür Gündem. Women in the neighborhood

Self-defense forces are forming in cities across Kurdistan in response to recent attacks orchestrated by the ruling AKP and President Erdoğan. In the Sûr district of Diyarbakir Turkish security forces have declared martial law 6 times in the last three months and killed 9 local civilians, three of them children. In response local women in Sûr have formed self-defense units, stating that “it is us who will defend our children.”

They Tortured Our Children

Şerife, who has been defending her home from state attacks for the past three months, explained her experiences in the neighborhood: “Whenever the police enter our neighborhood we go into action. They used to torture our children right in front of our eyes. They would break down our doors and come into our homes. They would go up to our roofs to position their snipers. We decided together to take up arms against all of this. The President and Prime Minister of Turkey are saying that the PKK is here however there is no PKK in Sûr, there is the people. We are defending ourselves and our children in our own neighborhood. We are the people, and it is us who are building these positions. We are not afraid of death, we have nothing to lose.”

There Is No PKK Here Only Mothers

Makbule, another local woman, called on people of all ages to take part in the resistance, saying “there is no PKK here, here there are mothers supporting their children. If necessary seventy year-old women will come out to fight against the 14 year tyranny of the AKP. It is Kurdish women who will destroy AKP’s power. They say that ‘women are honor.’ For us it our our land and our country that is our honor. We will not leave Sûr until it has been liberated.”

It Is Öcalan Who Can Stop This War

Hatice, another local with 3 children in prison, expresses herself thus: “I will never abandon this struggle after the torture my children received. I am calling on everyone to take ownership of their neighborhoods. But let the whole world know that until PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan is free neither Kurds nor Kurdistan will be free. Only Abdullah Öcalan can stop this war.”

Lend Your Voice To Ours

Felek, another local woman taking part in the Sûr resistance, told reporters that “there is a huge resistance now being shown in places such as Silvan, Silopi, Cizre, Nusaybin, Lice and Sûr. However as it goes on this resistance needs to grow even more. No matter how many more tanks and artillery they bring here they will not be able to break this resistance. Today is a day for unity. We are calling on everyone to take part in this resistance and to lend their voice to ours.”