The vigil in Besta (in the region of Şırnak), launched by the Democratic Institutions Platform in response to ecocide across the region, continues. A “Freedom Platform” was set up in the vigil area, accompanied by Kurdish songs.
On the “Freedom Platform,” representatives of political parties, democratic mass organizations, and citizens took the floor to share their views against ecocide. Among the speakers were DBP co-chairs Keskin Bayındır and Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar, DEM Party co-chair Tülay Hatimoğulları, SYKP co-chair Mertcan Titiz, Green Left Party co-spokesperson Didem Göçer, ESP Central Committee member Orhan Çelebi, and various representatives of democratic mass organizations.
TJA activist Çimen Fidan emphasized the importance of Besta for the Kurdish freedom struggle, saying: “We are here because our nature has been plundered. Treasures are sought where they were lost.”
ESP’s Orhan Çelebi drew attention to security-oriented policies in Kurdistan, stating: “Our nature is being targeted for plunder. They talk about peace, yet they plunder the Kurds’ nature. Peace begins with nature. The state shows that it does not want peace by plundering nature. We are here against this, we will be here tomorrow, and we will always be here.”
Peace Mother Şirin Demir, who joined the vigil, stressed that protecting nature is equal to protecting peace, and condemned the destruction of trees. She said: “Our nature is our existence. Without our nature, we cannot exist. Our nature is our lifeline. From here, we send our greetings all the way to İmralı. We want peace.”
SYKP Co-Chair Mertcan Titiz recalled that the state plunders nature under the pretext of security, saying: “The state has plundered this nature with chemical attacks. Ecocide is being carried out all across Turkey. They have sold everything. The government provides everything to the capitalists. We are talking about a government incapable of even putting out fires. If there is to be peace, it must be a democratic peace. If there is to be reconciliation, it must be ecological reconciliation.”
Green Left Party co-spokesperson Didem Göçer added: “We must resist together everywhere against the plunder of nature. With the mining law, they are trying to turn everything into profit. If we resist together, we can stop this.”
Egît Özdemir of the Mêrdîn Ecology Platform, Peace Mother Hesibe Mengirkaon, and other speakers who took the Freedom Platform shared proposals on how to struggle against ecocide, highlighting the need to end the plunder of nature and the importance of unity against betrayal.