“As a result of the liberation struggle that has been carried out since 15 August 1984, an invincible resistance has emerged that keeps the hope of freedom alive,” Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
PEACE IN KURDISTAN
15 August 1984 – celebrate the 36th anniversary of the Kurdish struggle for peace and freedom
The Kurdish campaign and struggle for freedom launched on 15 August 1984 heralded the start of a new chapter in the Kurdish resistance against Turkish oppression and denial of their existence.
Over the decades that have followed, the struggle initiated by a small but determined force of Kurdish guerrilla units, “the liberation units of Kurdistan”, has grown into a mass movement of the people. The Kurdish movement has been transformed from a struggle for very survival into a sophisticated and far reaching political project whose unprecedented ambition in its ultimate objectives embrace every facet of society, the economy, the environment and the interweaving network of relations between men, women, ethnicities and classes. This consists of the total transformation of all the mechanisms of organising society and how people look at their world.
The unity and confidence of the Kurds has been achieved against the odds through the hard experience of resistance to Turkish state oppression and its efforts to subordinate and control them by attempted wholesale eradication of their culture, language, heritage, memory, community and political organisation.
An understanding that the key to liberation lies within their own self-confidence and capacity as a people has been a direct consequence of the process that began on 15 August. Kurds have been instilled with the belief that no outside power can liberate them; that task can be accomplished by themselves alone.
Over the years, this new chapter in Kurdish history, led by the PKK and Abdullah Ocalan, has inspired a great revival in Kurdish culture and a flourishing in creativity across various fields from music to film making.
That national political struggle has inspired the Kurdish youth and people of all ages who have found a voice and are now able to speak in their own language in increasing numbers.
There is a great pride in their own heritage and a recognition that freedom is well within their grasp despite setbacks.
The developments in the Kurdish movement from the 1980s have brought about a maturing of the national consciousness of the Kurdish people which has been shaped and strengthened by the sacrifice and leadership of those who led the resistance which began to take its modern shape with the uprising that started on 15 August 1984.
The Kurdish struggle has taken on a new course since those times with the pursuit of peace and reconciliation, but the fundamental aims and objectives continue unchanged.
This anniversary is a time to remember the pioneers of the movement and to honour all the martyrs who paid the ultimate sacrifice. It is an occasion to draw further inspiration from the courage and sacrifice of those who came before.
Peace in Kurdistan salutes the resilience and courage of the Kurdish men and women who continue to resist oppression and tyranny in Turkey, in Rojava, in the Islamic Republic of Iran and wherever they face the horrors inflicted by state and jihadi terrorism. The struggle continues until the day of victory is assured.
Peace in Kurdistan
Campaign for a political solution of the Kurdish Question
Email: estella24@tiscali.co.uk
https://www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.com
Contacts Estella Schmid: 07846 666 804 & Melanie Gingell: 07572 430903
Patrons: John Austin, Baroness Blower of Starch Green, former GS NUT, Prof Bill Bowring, Julie Christie, Noam Chomsky, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Prof Mary Davis, Lord Dholakia, Simon Dubbins, UNITE International Director, Jill Evans, former MEP, Desmond Fernandes, Lindsey German, Convenor STWC, Melanie Gingell, Christopher Gingell, Prof Dr. Michael Gunter, Secretary-General, EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC), Rahila Gupta, Nick Hildyard, Dafydd Iwan, Former President Plaid Cymru, James Kelman, Bruce Kent, Jean Lambert, former MEP, Elfyn Llwyd, Aonghas MacNeacail, Scottish Gaelic poet, Mike Mansfield QC, David Morgan, Doug Nicholls, General Secretary, GFTU, Dr. Jessica Ayesha Northey, Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy, Dr Thomas Jeffrey Miley, Kate Osamor MP, Margaret Owen OBE, Ali Gul Ozbek, Former Councillor and Mayor of Haringey; Gareth Peirce, Dr Felix Padel, Maxine Peake, actor, Trevor Rayne, writer, Lord Rea, Joe Ryan, Tony Simpson, Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, Stephen Smellie, PIK Trade Union Liaison Officer, Jonathan Steele, Steve Sweeney, Gianni Tognoni, General Secretary Permanent People’s Tribunal, Dr Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, Dr Tom Wakeford, Dr Derek Wall, Julie Ward, former MEP, Kariane Westrheim, Chair, EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC); Hywel Williams MP.