Regional hegemonic powers and status-quo states have long sought to divide the Middle East and set its peoples against one another in order to preserve their dominance. Yet President Öcalan built the paradigm of the Democratic Nation as a “third way,” allowing the ancient and historic garden of the Middle East to flourish once again. Through President Öcalan’s ideas and philosophy, the free mountains have become a refuge for the revolutionaries of all peoples. Kurdish, Arab, Turkmen, Syriac, Armenian and fighters of many other nations continue to struggle for freedom in these magnificent mountains.
Arab guerrillas taking part in this struggle shared their feelings on the anniversary of the founding of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
A guerrilla from the People’s Defense Forces (HPG), Azad Dêrk, began his remarks by celebrating the anniversary of the founding of the PKK.
He emphasized the significance of the movement for the peoples of the region. Azad Dêrk stressed that 27 November marked a new birth for the peoples of the Middle East and said: “The PKK is a historic movement. It began with a small group, and today it has reached millions. It has grown enormously and created a profound impact on the peoples of the Middle East. The PKK stood against oppression and tyranny. President Öcalan revealed the true reality of the peoples. This is why we must demand President Öcalan’s physical freedom every single day. Because President Öcalan’s freedom is our freedom, it is the freedom of all peoples. The Arab people must also understand President Öcalan in the best and deepest way. Our people must never accept the pressures imposed by hegemonic powers.”
He continued: “As a child of this people, I joined the revolution. Because our revolution is a socialist revolution, a revolution for all humanity. We have reached this point thanks to President Öcalan. As Kurdish and Arab peoples, we live together. With our own will, we can determine our own path and defend ourselves. No power can come between the people and the revolution. No revolution can succeed without the people, and no people can achieve freedom without a revolution. We must build the unity of our peoples. No one can create divisions between us anymore. We are the children of this region, of these peoples. We want to live freely with our language, our culture, and our essence. The Kurdish people could not speak their mother tongue; today, thanks to President Öcalan, they live with their culture and their language. A great price was paid for this. Thousands of comrades gave their lives. We must never forget them.”
Azad Dêrk also said, “Today we have reached a historic stage. We must fight for the physical freedom of President Öcalan. When President Öcalan is free, we will be free, and our peoples will be liberated. We have reached this day thanks to 27 November. For this reason, we must never forget President Öcalan and the martyrs. We will not stop until our struggle succeeds and until we secure President Öcalan’s physical freedom. From here, we send our greetings to Imralı. May the founding of the PKK be celebrated once again for President Öcalan and for all peoples.”
The Kurdish people were on the brink of disappearance before the PKK
HPG guerrilla Demhat Rojava emphasized that 27 November, the founding date of the PKK, is a historic day for all peoples.
Demhat Rojava said: “Since the founding of the PKK, many transformations have taken place, changes in mentality, in practice, and in relations among peoples. In the beginning, this movement was a small group, but it addressed not only the Kurdish people; it reached out to all peoples and sought to spread President Öcalan’s ideas and philosophy. Without a doubt, the birth of this movement carries historic meaning for us. The PKK also created many values. Democracy, socialism and women’s freedom in Middle Eastern societies developed thanks to this movement.”
Demhat Rojava also added: “Before the Apoist movement, no one spoke of women’s liberation. With President Öcalan and the PKK, a women’s revolution emerged. And before the Freedom Movement, there were deep divisions and distinctions among peoples. The existence and identity of the Kurdish people were not recognized. The Kurdish people were on the verge of disappearing. They existed physically, but their identity and history were denied. President Öcalan founded the PKK on 27 November 1978 on the basis of the freedom of this people. This day is a new beginning for us, the start of a new era. We will never forget this historic day.”