Alan Rebin
German police attacked a Kurdish rally on 9th October protesting the 12th anniversary of the abduction of Abdullah Ocalan, the Kurdish resistance leader. Ocalan is the head of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and recognised by the millions of the Kurds as their truthful leader; for that reason this is their right to protest against his illegal abduction in 1999. Those attacked by the German Police, Berlin Branch, were brandishing posters of Ocalan showing their respect and adherence to his ideology. Thus the reason for the attack was holding a poster of a Kurdish leader, or probably holding a different opinion from what the German authority regards as tolerable.
Freedom of speech is one of the most fundamental tenets of democracy, which any democratic state should adhere to. But things are different in Germany; a Kurd can go to rally but he is not allowed to hold his view different from what the state holds to be true. It gives me that impression of the saying; “you have the right to live, but you are not allowed to eat”. This is a ridiculous rhetoric by which you can not just deceive people; they are very conscious of all these fabrications. But why Germany should not tolerate posters of Ocalan or his ideology? Why Germany should support Turkish lethal war against the Kurds? Does not that mean that Germany is indirectly committing the act of violence against the Kurds? Why they should stifle the voices of millions of those who come to the streets voicing the objection to the unfair conducts of the international powers? These are all questions that can not go unanswered by the modern and democratic mind!
Millions of the Kurds across the world protest against the abduction of Ocalan each year, and brandish his posters in the rallies. What it explicitly elucidates is the fact that those in the rallies do recognise Ocalan as their voices and their rightful representative. If you do really believe in the power of people and have respect for that, you should also recognise and respect Ocalan as the voice of the Kurdish people. If you don’t, you will directly put into question your believe in democracy and the will of people. If you don’t recognise and respect the will of people, they don’t recognise you either; they will resist and defeat you, as they did to Apartheid Regime and the Nazism.
Having been Turkey’s ally for decades, Germany played a decisive role in blacklisting Kurdish resistance movement. There is nothing wrong with having diplomatic relationship with Turkey. But it should not be overlooked that Kurdish people are denied with their very basic rights in Turkey. Over 1500 Kurdish politicians and human rights activists are imprisoned; almost 3000 Kurdish children are jailed for taking part in anti-government demonstrations, the Kurdish language is prohibited to be spoken in public and the use of chemical bomb against the Kurdish guerrillas are permitted. Why does Germany turn a blind eye on these tragedies and sponsor Turkish terrorism against the Kurds? If this is in the interest of Germany to support Turkey, no problem, but the existence of Kurdish people relies on their resistance to the Turkish terror state and within that framework they would resist any threat to their existence no matter where it is emanating from!
If Germany claims having problem with the PKK, not with the Kurds, this is just missing the point, the Kurds can not be separated from the PKK and it should be remembered that the systematic oppression of the Kurds long existed before PKK was born. The continuous denial of the Kurds gave birth and rise to the PKK and the PKK is the truth voice of the Kurds. Denying the PKK is to deny the Kurdish voice, is to deny the Kurds themselves. Needless to say that this is in the nature of every “being” to seek the perpetuation of its “being”; no matter who seeks to liquidate it, it will resist to it!
Germany should have at least taken lesson from what they did to the Jews, they should have taken lesson from how they supported Apartheid regime in South Africa, and very lately, they should have taken lesson from how they equipped Saddam Hussein with chemical weapons gassing the Kurds; what happened to all these shameful historical catastrophes? What did they learn? The memory of the chemical bombardments of Kurdistan still lingers on the Kurdish children; the memory of killing of 5000 innocent people, only within few hours, how easily could be erased? How Germany is still not prepared to take lesson from this shameful history. Of course the Kurdish nation has not forgotten about how Saddam Hussein gassed them by German weapons and of course they will not forget how Germany is sponsoring state terror of Turkish government.
Germany is indirectly committing the act of violence against the Kurdish nation by sponsoring the Turkish state terrorism against the Kurds. Needless to say; the Kurds preserve the legitimate right of self-defence to resist to any type of direct or indirect violence.