Abdullah Öcalan has marked his 76th birthday with a call to Kurdish youth. This was read out to the young people who are marching from Diyarbakır to the village of his birth, Amara in Urfa, under the auspices of the DEM Party. Öcalan’s message calls for organisation and community:
“April is a Renaissance for me, a rebirth. The young people’s march is a march towards freedom. Marching towards freedom is meaningful. Wherever I go, I organise myself. I had a group that moved with me when I went to school. This is how socialisation happens. I have been doing this since my childhood.
“Socialism means society, communalism. Socialism means socialisation. In Kurdistan, politics should be done with this understanding. This is called communal, socialist politics. This is achieved by organising. Organisation is the most important job. If you cannot do that, I will criticise you greatly. Therefore, you will organise everywhere. I support your work and send my greetings.”
At 76, Öcalan is as ready and committed as he has ever been to bringing a peaceful and democratic solution to the Kurdish Question. While the state demonstrates that they only speak the language of war, Kurds have rallied to Öcalan’s recent call for peace and democracy; and his birthday, on 4 April, which is celebrated as a Kurdish rebirth, provides another opportunity to spread his message and call for his release.
On his last birthday, we couldn’t even be sure of his situation as no one was allowed to visit or communicate with him. How much has changed in this last year – but also how much more needs to change! Öcalan has met with his family and with members of the DEM Party; but he is still not being permitted the regular access that is every prisoner’s right. He has demonstrated his statesmanship by using this opening to make his call for peace and democracy, including the dissolution of the PKK; but the Turkish Government is not giving the necessary responses to make this possible. They have not stopped their military assault on the PKK bases, and they are demolishing what is left of Turkish democracy.
They have also met the youth march with tear gas and water cannons, but they can’t dampen the support for Öcalan and for what he stands for.