In protest against the ongoing attacks on the Kurdish-inhabited neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah in Aleppo, northern Syria, numerous members of the Peace Mothers Council from several cities in northern Kurdistan have made their way to Ankara. Their destination is the Turkish parliament, which they intend to hold accountable. The mothers are demanding an immediate end to the attacks and hold the Turkish government jointly responsible for the escalation in northern Syria.
Urfa: Rojava is not alone
In Urfa, the local council of Peace Mothers gathered in front of the DEM party building, accompanied by mayors from the districts of Hilvan, Suruç, and Bozova. A banner read: “The most beautiful gift to mothers is peace.” In her speech, activist Adalet Çay strongly condemned the attacks on Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah. “Rojava is not alone, and we will stand behind Rojava until the end,” she said.
Çay emphasized that Kurds have lived in Mesopotamia for thousands of years and are now once again being driven from their homeland. “They are destroying cities, they are even destroying hospitals. The Kurdish people are being forced to flee. But Kurdistan is one. We will always stand by Rojava and we will win.” She also addressed Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan directly: “You unleashed ISIS on the Kurdish people. You looted our belongings and killed our children. You are unscrupulous and ruthless. Don’t you have children?” she asked Fidan.
With regard to the planned march to Ankara, Çay stated: “If war begins in parliament, then peace will also be made there. We are going to Ankara, we are going to parliament, and we will be there until a solution is found.” The action ended with the slogan “Bijî berxwedana Rojava” (“Long live the resistance of Rojava”).
Şırnak: Either honorable peace or dignified resistance
In Şırnak, a group of Peace Mothers was also sent off to join the protest march to Ankara. Representatives of political parties and civil society organizations gathered in front of the DEM Party office in Cizre district to support the group. They carried posters with slogans such as: “Rojava is our dignity,” “Either honorable peace or dignified resistance,” and “Defending Rojava is defending the people.” During the farewell ceremony, slogans such as “HTS murderers out of Rojava” were chanted. The revolutionary song “Çerxa Şoreş e” was also sung. The mothers emphasized: “We don’t want war, we want peace. That’s why we’re going to Ankara. We will present our demands there.”