HDK Women’s Council warns of racist attacks in forest fire area

In the Mediterranean region of Turkey, uncontrollable forest fires have been raging for ten days and tens of thousands of people had to be evacuated. Parallel to the fire disaster, racist attacks against Kurds are taking place. The Women’s Council of the civil society organization Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK) in the Aegean province of Muğla warns against racist provocations and calls for cohesion.

The statement of the Women’s Council points to the consequences of the global climate catastrophe: “Forest fires, floods, extreme drought. Turkey has been suffering anyway for years under a misguided economic, education, health and social policy. Now the habitat of numerous people and other living beings is burning. We all live in the hell created by the capitalist, profit-oriented, exploitative, patriarchal system. The government is manipulating public perception, setting the country on fire and not taking responsibility for anything.”

The statement continued: “While the fire continues to burn everywhere, racism has also come on the scene and can lead to an even more dangerous dimension in our lives than the fires. Parallel to the forest fires, attempts are being made to use the situation for racist provocations. Those who carry out street checks today and question supposed suspects go even further and undertake lynching attempts. Just a few days ago, a massacre was committed against a Kurdish family in Konya.

As women living in Muğla, we will not allow this mindset to prevail and new massacres to be committed. We are determined to defeat both the life-destroying fire and the racism that is being used to incite us. As women’s organizations in Muğla, let us stand united for our rights and our lives against the attacks on animals, nature, women and our habitat.”