RIHA - DEM Party Youth Assembly members' march to Amara on the occasion of Abdullah Öcalan's 76th birthday is on its third day. The youth are raising the call for peace and a democratic society, by saying ‘When we achieve physical freedom, women will also be free’.

 

Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Youth Assembly started a march from Amed to Amara neighbourhood of Riha's Xelfetî (Halfeti) district on the 76th birthday of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan. The young people who set out from Amed reached Suruç district of Riha. The march carried out by the youth with the slogan ‘We are walking to freedom with a democratic society’ will end on 4 April in Amara, the birthplace of Abdullah Öcalan.

 

The youth taking part in the march, which continues on its third day, emphasised that "We will ensure the freedom of Leader Apo."

 

‘The resistance gave us morale’

 

Speaking first, DEM Party Women's Assembly member Rumeysa Bozkurt drew attention to the purpose of their march and said, "The purpose of our march is to ensure the physical freedom of Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the peoples. As women, we are marching to Amara under the leadership of women, based on the Rojava women's revolution model. We will destroy capitalist modernity and build democratic modernity. We are marching to Amara with this belief. The resistance in Siverek gave us great morale. We will make a new beginning in the place where the Neolithic period began, in the place where Leader Apo was born; we will celebrate his birthday in the land where he was born. Especially we women are very happy. At the point where we ensure the physical freedom of Leader Apo, we women will be even freer. We will build the democratic society with young women, and we will be the pioneers of it."

 

‘We will ensure the freedom of Leader Apo’

 

Rumeysa Bozkurt stated that young people have a great responsibility in Abdullah Öcalan's call for ‘peace and democratic society’ and said "The public's embrace of us gives us morale. The flowers given to us by women show that we are flowers too. Every cry rising from women shows how we will break the chains of isolation. If women will do it, women will make the revolution. Our wailing will ensure the physical freedom of Leader Apo. We continue our march based on the call to ensure this freedom and to build democratic modernity. We are in a process where we are really gaining strength and morale. We welcome all young people to Amara. We will celebrate Leader Apo's birthday in a strong way. In his call, Leader Apo leaves us a historical responsibility. What he has left us is to organise the call for peace and democratic society. We will multiply by organising. In this process, we are sure, we are morale; we will ensure the freedom of Leader Apo. Even the fact that we are in a communal organisation here affects the youth. As young women, we are the pioneers of this process and we will organise the people on this basis."

 

‘Youth from many places flocked to this march’

 

Şeval Çaşurluk, a member of the HDK Young Women's Assembly, took the floor and stated that young people from both Turkey and Kurdistan participated in the march in order to ensure the physical freedom of Abdullah Öcalan and to come together in Amara on his birthday. Şeval Çaşurluk said, "We reached Siverek with the march we started on 1 April. We were welcomed with a very strong welcome. While the people could have welcomed us with a more intense interest, we had to go through several inspections along the way. Because they wanted to prevent us from coming together with the people. The youth dynamic is incredibly intense. Young people from Istanbul, Ankara and many parts of Kurdistan flocked to this march. We are here to raise the general demand for the physical freedom of Abdullah Öcalan. In an environment like the beginning of the solution process, we want to raise our demands on the basis of Abdullah Öcalan's physical freedom. As women, we are also obliged to demand the physical freedom of Leader Apo, the founder of the democratic nation."

 

‘No pressure can deter us’

 

Stating that their walks were met with strong welcomes, Şeval Çaşurluk said: "Our march is very enjoyable. We are in the land where civilisation was born. Our march will end in Amara, the birthplace of Mr Abdullah Öcalan. There are not only Kurdistan youth here; our comrades from the component parties are also with us. There is a very homogenous, confederal structure. We are really being welcomed with intense emotions. We believe that no pressure will deter us. At one point where we stopped yesterday, riot police and gendarmerie teams gathered around us. However, this was not enough to dampen the dynamism of the youth and the people's spirit of struggle. We showed our resistance there, we danced the halay."