The traditional “Long March,” which Kurdish youth in Europe organize every year, is taking place this year under the motto “Freedom and Democracy.”
Around 150 young people from several European countries, including Germany, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Belgium, are taking part in the demonstration which kicked off in Cologne on Wednesday and proceeded through the city of Düsseldorf on Thursday.
While concluding the second day of the action, the activists unfurled banners reading “From Hambi to Rojava,” “The struggle for freedom is international – Freedom for Leader Öcalan,” and “Those who do not love their homeland cannot defend it.”
At the evening panel discussion titled “The process and Internationalism,” former HDP MP Faysal Sarıyıldız and young activists from France, Germany, and Italy took the floor. The discussions highlighted the shifting balances in the Middle East, the importance of international solidarity, and the global impact of Öcalan’s paradigm.
The participants gathered in front of Dortmund Central Train Station this morning to make their daily press statement and start their march.
The press statement drew attention to the fact that young people, with their capacity for experimentation, learning, and development, are the driving force behind social progress. It emphasized that the current capitalist system hinders social development, and called upon young people to raise their voices against injustice and defend their identity. The statement concluded with the slogan, “For a free society and a free culture, we are here!”
The activists will walk 11 kilometers today through Dortmund’s busiest streets. The theme of the day is “Youth and Culture.” In the evening, Öcalan’s recent video message, shared with the public after 27 years, will be screened at the Dortmund Democratic Kurdish Community Center, to be followed by a press statement in five languages.
The march will conclude on its fourth day with the Kurdish Culture Festival in Dortmund.