Heider: It is important to reach out to peoples other than Kurds to ensure Öcalan’s freedom

Reimer Heider, the project editor of the graphic novel ‘Freedom Shall Prevail: The Struggle of Abdullah Öcalan and the Kurdish People’ said that in a world where fascism is on the rise and wars are raging, peoples see Abdullah Öcalan as a hope for revolution with his ideas. According to Heider, what makes Abdullah Öcalan different is not only his struggle and resistance against ISIS and Turkish state colonialism, but also the fact that he has ideas that transcend all these.

The promotion meetings of the graphic novel ‘Freedom Shall Prevail: The Struggle of Abdullah Öcalan and the Kurdish People’ continue. The award-winning author of the book is Sean Michael Wilson from Scotland and the Project Editor is Reimar Heider of the International Initiative for the Freedom of Abdullah Öcalan.

Speaking to ANF, Reimar Heider said that the interest in the book’s promotional meetings was very good and added: “It is especially important that this book reaches the reader in the form of a graphic novel, with an artistic presentation. The fact that both Abdullah Öcalan’s life and a part of the Kurdish freedom struggle are illustrated makes it palpable. This is the main difference of this book.”

Reimar Heider commented on the fact that it was a first for the Kurds to reflect a political story as a graphic novel and said, “Of course, we have previously published a book on the life of the Kurdish People’s Leader by translating it into different languages. We edited it. But this one tells it from a slightly different perspective. It is not a book that is difficult to read. It describes the struggle in a language that is more understandable and attractive to everyone. It tells it in a way that everyone from children to the elderly, from academics to workers can easily access it.”

‘Almost all of them had some knowledge of Abdullah Öcalan’

Referring to the intense interest at the presentation meeting at Cambridge University, Heider said: “Most of those who were there had either read one of the defences Öcalan had written in prison or had read the pamphlets. Some of them were influenced by the idea of Jineoloji (Women’s Science). Some were influenced by democratic confederalism. Some were influenced by the Rojava system. Almost all of them had some knowledge of Abdullah Öcalan. Cambridge University was a little different. Some were so impressed by Abdullah Öcalan that they brought their mothers to the introductory meeting. There were Portuguese, Italians, Irish, English people.”

‘They see Öcalan as a thinker who laid the foundations of the Rojava Revolution’

Describing the perspective of university students on Abdullah Öcalan’s ideas, Heider said: “They are quite impressed by Abdullah Öcalan. Especially in these difficult times, in such a Middle East, in such a world where fascism is on the rise on all sides, where there are wars in which religious extremists are massacring people, they see Abdullah Öcalan as a leader who really creates hope. And they see and recognise Abdullah Öcalan as a thinker who laid the foundations of the Rojava Revolution, which proves that not only everything is going badly, but that there are also good things, that revolution is still possible.”

‘A unique situation in the history of revolutions’

Expressing that they were astonished that Abdullah Öcalan developed the paradigm of Democratic Confederalism in an island prison, Heider said, “All this thought process takes place in prison and he makes suggestions to his movement, looks at them, discusses them and does something and a revolution emerges. This is a unique situation in the history of revolutions. Of course, it arouses curiosity. It is seen as extraordinary that he creates hope with his thoughts and practical power in this way.”

‘Everyone agrees that isolation can only be broken through struggle’

Heider said everyone agrees that absolute isolation is unacceptable and that isolation can only be broken through the struggle of the peoples: “If we want to expand the struggle for Abdullah Öcalan’s freedom, we need to reach out to peoples other than Kurds. There is great potential. Kurds may be organised in Europe, but there is a numerical limit. It is important to reach out to other peoples to ensure Abdullah Öcalan’s freedom.”

‘I was influenced by Öcalan’s ideas and ideology’

Asked about his belief in Abdullah Öcalan and the reason for his efforts in the struggle despite him not being Kurdish, Heider stated: “What makes Abdullah Öcalan different? There is a struggle against ISIS, there is a struggle and resistance against the Turkish state colonialism. But more than that, people are influenced by Abdullah Öcalan’s ideas. It is not only resistance and armed struggle, but the fact that Abdullah Öcalan has ideas that transcend all these makes him different and impressive. Making a proposal to create a more democratic and new system, explaining it well, describing its historical roots, creating its philosophy; this is Abdullah Öcalan’s difference. Unfortunately, these ideas are not always examined thoroughly. It is not enough just to say to the peoples of the world, ‘We want the freedom of our leader’. His ideas are important because thoughts and ideas affect peoples. His ideas also affected me. As a young student, I met the Kurdish freedom struggle years ago. I witnessed the resistance of the Kurds, the persecution they suffered, and it influenced me. But more than that, it is Öcalan’s ideas and ideology.”