North London Greens pledge support for Kurdish autonomy

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE NORTH LONDON GREEN PARTIES

Green Party General Election candidates from six North London constituencies have called for the British Government to lift the ban on the Kurdistan Workers Party (the PKK) and for the PKK to be removed from the list of banned ‘terrorist’ organisations. Speaking at a meeting of North London’s Kurdish community with London Green MEP Jean Lambert, candidates agreed that the PKK poses no threat to the people of Britain. The PKK has never been designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations and most European Union governments have not listed it as a terrorist group. The British government has taken a particularly harsh stance, which is closer to that of the US.

From left to right; Michelle, David, Jean, Charlotte, Gordon, Dee, Heather. Photo: Esra Turk
From left to right; Michelle, David, Jean, Charlotte, Gordon, Dee, Heather.
Photo: Esra Turk

‘Kurdish peoples across four Middle Eastern countries have been striving for self-determination and democracy for many years,’ said Dee Searle (candidate for Tottenham), who came into direct contact with Kurdish human rights activists during her years working for Amnesty International. ‘Their bravery and determination left a lasting impression.’ David Flint (candidate for Enfield North), who visited Kurdish areas in Turkey last year, spoke of his positive experiences of Kurdish society. Continue reading “North London Greens pledge support for Kurdish autonomy”

Discussion with UK Delegation to Suruc, Turkey, on the Syrian border

The Kurdish Community Centre is hosting an afternoon of events this Saturday, starting with a discussion with Peace in Kurdistan Campaign’s recent delegates to the border region. All welcome!


Venue:  Kurdish Community Centre,  Fairfax Hall,  11 Portland Gardens, London N4 1HU

At 4:30pm on Saturday, 29th November 2014
Kobane is still under severe attack by ISIS. Over 50,000 people have been forced to flee Kobane as refugees to Suruc, in the Kurdish province of Urfa city of Turkey. Suruc sits just across the border from Kobane, separated by an arbitrary line that divides Kurdistan into four. Kobane refugees in Suruc have limited food and unsuitable shelter, and are patiently waiting for the end of this brutal war in order to go back to their homeland. Continue reading “Discussion with UK Delegation to Suruc, Turkey, on the Syrian border”

Kurdish community celebrates May Day

Long Live May Day! Biji Yeke Gulane! Yaşasın 1 Mayıs!

 KURDS ARE CELEBRATING MAY DAY IN THE SPIRIT OF NEWROZ

Once again this year Kurds are celebrating May Day in Kurdistan, Turkey and all the capitals of the world, in the spirit of Newroz, the Kurdish New Year. This is because for Kurds, May Day is not just a day for workers and labour, but for the freedom and resistance of all the oppressed nations, classes and ‘others’ of the world; this is why May Day is also a celebration for Tamils, Baloch, Sindhi, Basque, women, students, religious groups and all oppressed peoples.

We are thousands here today from all these nations and groups, in exile, away from our lands, and we are in solidarity with the British working classes, of which we have also become a part of. But we have been made the scapegoats, the unemployed, pushed into menial labour as underpaid service providers of this system, which, in its economic crisis has targeted us more savagely than any other. Millions of people, officially and unofficially have lost their jobs, millions who did not have access to work have had their social security benefits cut, student fees have been tripled, access to housing and basic council services have been eroded, local community funding and services have become almost non-existent, and as the riots last year showed, there is a growing discontent among the working classes, which unfortunately has no political direction, at least not yet. Continue reading “Kurdish community celebrates May Day”