STUC supports Kurdish hunger strikers – report/press release
From the beginning, and the mention of Welsh Kurdish hunger striker Imam Sis in
Lynn Henderson’s presidential opening speech, the Kurds featured prominently at
this week’s Scottish Trade Union Congress.
An emergency motion, brought by Aberdeen Trades Council, whose secretary, Fiona
Napier, has visited the Kurdish hunger strikers in Strasbourg, mandated the STUC
General Council to show concrete support for the hunger strikers, and their demand
that Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan be allowed his basic human right to visits by
his family and his lawyer, by writing to the Council of Europe (of which Turkey is a
member), the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, and the UK foreign
Minister, as well as informing trade unionists about the hunger strike and
encouraging supportive actions.
And a motion moved by Mike Arnott of Dundee Trades Council condemned the
criminalisation of the Kurdish Community by police Scotland, and their raids and
harassment of Kurdish families in Edinburgh. Congress called on the Scottish Cabinet
Secretary for Justice to ‘ensure that these actions cease forthwith and make a
public commitment to the human rights and general wellbeing of our Kurdish
community’. As the motion explained ‘Expressions of Kurdish identity have been cited
as evidence of support for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and thus, by
simplistic UK security community logic, terrorism. By this reasoning, the whole
Kurdish community is at risk of being criminalised.’
Both motions were seconded by Stephen Smellie, co-chair of Scottish Solidarity with
Kurdistan, who reminded delegates that ‘This Congress in past years has offered
support to the Kurdish struggle in Turkey, we have supported the demand that the PKK
be removed from the list of terrorist organisations and we have called for Abdullah
Ocalan, leader of the PKK, a writer, and advocate for a democratic and peaceful
solution to the Kurdish Question, to be released from his 20 years of solitary
confinement in the prison on Imrali island in Turkey.’
Smellie described how the dawn raids on Kurdish families, which were prominently
splashed across newspaper headlines and from which the police returned with a haul
of scarves and flags, left the Kurdish community in Edinburgh to be faced with
questions from neighbours, work colleagues and school friends. Schoolchildren were
asked ‘is your Dad a terrorist? and, today, community members can be reluctant to
take part in protests or for their kids to attend the language and music lessons at
the community centre.
Scottish activists were also glad to make contact with the President of the Welsh
TUC, Shavanah Taj, who has been part of the inspiring mobilisation in support of
hunger striker Imam Sis in Newport.
With Leyla Guven on her 162nd day without food, Nasir Yagis in Erbil on day 149,
Imam Sis and the 14 hunger strikers in Strasbourg on day 123, Yusuf Iba in Toronto
slipping in and out of consciousness, and over 7000 Kurdish political prisoners on
hunger strikes in Turkish jails, I will end this report with a reminder from
Smellie’s speech in support of the hunger strike motion, ‘No-one should be on hunger
strike. It is not a campaigning tactic that anyone should consider, but it is a last
desperate act to try to get the Turkish authorities to act. But they don’t care if
hundreds of Kurdish activists in Turkey and across the world die. Therefore we need
to build widespread international support for their demands.’
If you want to show your support, please write a letter to the CPT, as suggested
here, tell your MP and MSPs of your concern, or organise a meeting. (Scottish
Solidarity with Kurdistan would be glad to provide a speaker.)
BELOW ARE:
THE DUNDEE TUC MOTION
STEPHEN SMELLIE’S SPEECH IN SUPPORT OF THE DUNDEE MOTION
STEPHEN SMELIIE’S SPEECH IN SUPPORT OF THE ABERDEEN EMERGENCY MOTION
THE ABERDEEN EMERGENCY MOTION IS ATTACHED
Please contact me, Sarah Glynn, if you would like further information.
07803 052239
THE DUNDEE MOTION:
- STOP CRIMINALISING THE KURDISH COMMUNITY
“That this Congress notes that Kurdish families in Scotland have been subjected to
dawn raids by police officers using anti-terrorist legislation to enter homes,
search and confiscate property and question people’s lives and political
affiliations. Expressions of Kurdish identity have been cited as evidence of support
for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and thus, by simplistic UK security community
logic, terrorism. By this reasoning, the whole Kurdish community is at risk of being
criminalised.
“The European Union Court of Justice recently ruled that the continued listing of
the PKK as a terrorist organisation was wrong, as it was not based on any current
threat. Meanwhile, the UK Government supports the Turkish Government, while it
carries out human rights’ abuses against its own people and launches attacks on the
Kurdish forces in Syria, who played the leading role in the defeat of ISIS.
“In Scotland, we stand in solidarity with the Kurdish community as they seek to live
in peace and participate in Scottish society.
“Congress therefore:
reiterates its long standing support for, and solidarity with, the Kurdish community
in Scotland;
condemns the raids and harassment they are suffering at the hands of Police
Scotland; and
calls on the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice to ensure that these actions
cease forthwith and make a public commitment to the human rights and general
wellbeing of our Kurdish community.”
Mover: Dundee Trades Union Council
STEPHEN SMELLIE’S SPEECH IN SUPPORT OF THE DUNDEE MOTION
Seconding the motion, UNISON’s Stephen Smellie questioned whether the international
part of the agenda was the right place for this motion since it was happening in
this country by our police.
Stephen told delegates about raids on a a number of homes of Kurdish families in
Edinburgh by up to seven plain clothes and uniformed police officers.
“Parents getting ready for work and kids ready for school, kids still in their bed,
were told to sit in their living room while the police officers searched their
bedrooms. The raids were carried out under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
“What did they find? Guns? Terror manuals? Stashes of cash to fund terror acts? No.
“They found nothing of the sort. They did find Kurdish language magazines. Taken
away. One teenage boy had a YPG flag on his wall – the YPG – the people’s Defence
Units – the Syrian Kurds fighting alongside UK and US forces against ISIS – you can
buy the flag at the stall outside – confiscated. They found similar YPG badges –
taken away by the police in their pursuit of terrorism.
“In September 2017 another round of dawn raids were made in the same manner with the
same sort of material confiscated. This time the Edinburgh Kurdish Community Centre
was also broken into by police, despite being asked to wait for the key holder to
arrive who would let them in. Again some flags, Kurdish scarves and badges were
removed.
“None of this material has been returned.”
“No charges came about. The investigation into alleged Kurdish terrorism that was
reported in big headlines in the Edinburgh Evening News, on STV and BBC came to
nothing. There was no evidence because there was no terrorist threat or activity.”
However, said Stephen, what did happen is that the Kurdish community in Edinburgh
were faced with questions by neighbours, work colleagues and school friends. “The
question – Is your Dad a terrorist? Was asked of kids in school.”
“In other words the whole Kurdish Community was criminalised by police actions
including police press releases.”
Stephen asked if it was a coincidence that the Kurdish community had been actively
protesting against Turkish government violence against the Kurdish people in Turkey,
against the jailing of elected Kurdish MPS and Mayors and the support that Turkey
had given to ISIS operatives?
“When meetings were held with the local police force they of course denied any link
to these legal protests but the view of the community was that indeed this was no
coincidence”, said Stephen.
“Some of them are now reluctant to take part in protests or for their kids to attend
the language and music lessons at the community centre.”
Stephen added: “Congress, the Kurdish community in Turkey is under siege, the
Kurdish community in Syria have fought and defeated ISIS and are now being
threatened by a Turkish invasion and air attacks.
“They should not feel under siege and threatened here in Scotland. They are part of
our community, our work colleagues our kids school mates.”
STEPHEN SMELIIE’S SPEECH IN SUPPORT OF THE ABERDEEN EMERGENCY MOTION
“This Congress in past years has offered support to the Kurdish struggle in Turkey,
we have supported the demand that the PKK be removed from the list of terrorist
organisations and we have called for Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the PKK, a writer,
and advocate for a democratic and peaceful solution to the Kurdish Question, to be
released from his 20 years of solitary confinement in the prison on Imrali island in
Turkey.
The Turkish government have a number of times during the past 20 years sought
negotiations with Ocalan, in his prison cell, to achieve an end to the conflict. As
recent as 2015 they were negotiating with him and the Prime Minister was on the
verge of agreeing a peace accord. Ocalan had issued a call to the PKK and others to
put away the guns and turn to politics to achieve a solution.
That was scuppered when President Erdogan decided that his electoral success
required not peace but violence. Since then Ocalan has received only 2 very brief
visits from his brother.
He has had no access to the Kurdish political movement and since 2011 no access to
his legal team and lawyers.
International delegations seeking permission to visit Ocalan, including a recent one
partly organised by the Trade Union Freedom for Ocalan Campaign set up by GMB and
Unite and which a number of affiliates here are now supporting, a delegation that
included Tony Burke of Unite, Manual Cortes of TSSA and actor Maxine Peake, have all
been refused by the Turkish authorities.
The widespread demands to end his isolation, a form of torture, have been ignored.
The frustration and outrage across the Kurdish people is what has led to the current
desparate actions of thousands of people engaging in hunger strikes.
These include Imam Sis in Newport on hunger strike since December and Mehmet Yilmaz,
Ali Boyraz and Nahide Zengin on hunger strike since 14 March.
Leyla Guven is near to death.
No-one should be on hunger strike. It is not a campaigning tactic that anyone should
consider but it is a last desperate act to try to get the Turkish authorities to
act. But they don’t care if hundreds of Kurdish activists in Turkey and across the
world die.
Therefore we need to build widespread international support for their demands. This
Congress in supporting this motion will be amongst the leaders in building this
campaign and I would urge all affiliates to also take the actions called for in the
motion and if you are in South Wales or London in the coming weeks please visit the
hunger strikers and show our solidarity.