The International Conference on Peace and Democratic Society organized by the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) in Istanbul continues on its second day.
Simon Dubbins, International Relations Director of Unite the Union, sent a video message to the conference, stating the following:
“A really warm hello to this International Peace and Democratic Society conference. My name’s Simon Dubbins, I’m the Director of International for Unite the Union, one of the largest unions in the UK with over 1.2 million members and I’m also the co-chair of the UK Trade Union Freedom for Öcalan campaign and I bring to you our greetings and solidarity for this conference from all our UK affiliated trade unions. My apologies that I’m not there in person;, it’s really unfortunate. I would have loved to have been there with you, but unfortunately, it’s just been impossible to do so on this occasion due to other commitments.
Colleagues, the trade union movement in the UK has a long history of standing in solidarity with oppressed peoples. In fact, one of our former General Secretaries, Jack Jones, many years ago was a volunteer in Spain and fought with the republican forces against Franco’s fascist forces. We stood shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in South Africa as they fought the evils of the apartheid regime.
Our movement played a vital role in supporting the peace process in Ireland. We also supported the peace process in Colombia and most recently we’ve stood shoulder to shoulder with the Palestinians in their fight against the genocide in Gaza and against Israeli apartheid. So, for us, it was self-evident that we should stand in solidarity with the Kurds and with the wider political movement in Turkey in the Middle East that sought to stop the evils of ISIS and bring about peace and social justice across the region and that’s why we set up the Freedom for Öcalan campaign in 2016.
We know your movement stands for the same values as ours, for peace, democracy, inclusiveness, tolerance, women’s rights and workers’ rights and respect for the environment and the planet and we know your movement has worked tirelessly to achieve those aims despite facing the most appalling repression. For years, we’ve been supporting the call for the release of Mr Öcalan because we understand from our history that peace can only come about when both parties recognise that repression and violence won’t work and look to address the real issues and find real lasting solutions. Over the last 10 years or more we’ve had many debates and discussions about Mr Öcalan’s freedom and the situation in Turkey and the wider region.
We’ve passed numerous motions in my union, other unions and in our confederation. We’ve participated in and organised our own solidarity delegations. We’ve supported all of the attempts to visit Mr Öcalan on Imrali island and we’ve put political pressure on to demand an end to the inhumane isolation of Mr Öcalan and we’ve also sought to build the campaign internationally and to exert maximum pressure to bring about change and at times that it looked like that was almost a distant and impossible hope and dream.
So, we were shocked and surprised when, suddenly earlier this year, this new initiative began to develop, but most of all, more than being shocked and surprised, we were excited and hopeful about the prospects that this new phase may bring for peace and reconciliation in the region. In our view, Mr Öcalan’s announcement on the 27th of February this year marked a massive watershed moment and created a huge opportunity for Turkey and the Middle East to move forward. We’ve witnessed the further historic steps taken with the special congress, the destruction of weapons and the withdrawal of forces and there can and should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that Mr Öcalan’s call for peace is serious and sincere and that the steps taken are very concrete and real but it’s also clear to us that these huge steps need to be met with clear and equivalent concrete measures from the Turkish state.
As we understand it, although Mr Öcalan’s conditions have improved somewhat, he is still not free to receive any visitors he wants and needs to meet. He’s still not free to travel to where he needs to travel to and engage with the people that he needs to and he’s therefore still not free to play the full role that everyone needs him to play and that only he can play in order to bring about peace and reconciliation. It’s also our understanding that the new laws and constitutional changes that are needed to further the process have still not yet been agreed or accepted and, of course, we understand there is still a huge amount of repression and military activity that absolutely needs to stop.
We also understand that there continues to be a rejection of a role for the wider international community to be able to support any peace process as it develops and that also needs to change and so I’ll finish with colleagues. We salute the steps that were initiated by Mr Öcalan and we salute the courage it took to make those difficult first moves. We salute the enormous efforts of the DEM party and indeed all other political actors that have helped to make the progress that has been made so far.
Turkey and the wider region stand at a critical moment, at a crossroads. One path, this path, leads to peace and reconciliation. The other path can only lead to more bloodshed, heartache and misery.
So, it’s crucial that everybody, including the Turkish state, takes a clear decision to move down the path towards peace and reconciliation. We urge the Turkish state to seize this moment with both hands, to be bold, to be brave, to take the steps needed and let the international community help and support you as much as it can on this journey. And for our part, our support for you will remain absolutely solid and steadfast.
We will continue to stand by your side in solidarity as you move forward and we will continue unceasingly to call for absolute and full freedom for Mr Öcalan. I really hope that I’ll be able to visit you all again in person soon and I sincerely hope that we’ll be able to bring a delegation from the UK to visit Turkey and also to visit Mr Öcalan on Imrali Island. We will absolutely refuse to let our hope be extinguished and we will continue on our right to hope and to support you moving forward on the journey you’ve embarked on.
We wish you all the very best for the remainder of your Congress. Thank you very much.”