DIYARBAKIR, North Kurdistan, — Fifty thousand Kurds joined the election rally organized in Diyarbakır by the pro-Kurdish Labour, Democracy and Freedom Block.
Fifty thousand Kurds packed Diyarbakir station square chanting slogans in favour of peace and a democratic solution to the Kurdish issue.
Passionate speeches were delivered by Diyarbakır former MP and candidate Leyla Zana and by candidates Altan Tan, Şerafettin Elçi, Nursel Aydoğan and Emine Ayna.
Strong and passionate Leyla Zana asked the chanting crowd: “They ask me why Kurds always chant slogan ‘Bijî serok Apo’ [long-live Leader Apo]’ referring to Kurdish national imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan.” Well – she added – because nobody has been able to organize this people in the same way he did. He managed to unite the Kurdish people under the same umbrella. That’s why Kurds are so tie to him”.
Independent candidate Emine Ayna, underlined that “May in Kurdish is Gulan, that is the month of the roses. Our roses are our martyrs”, she said referring to the people who lost their life because of the war.
Ayna directly addressed the Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdoğan and said; “The Prime Minister – she began promptly adding – no, I will not refer to him as Prime Minister because he is not acting as a Prime Minister towards us. So I simply say, Recep Tayip Erdoğan who says that ‘there were Kurds but we solved this issue’. And now he said there are no Kurds. And people should simply take his word as evidence of this.”
The reality is, added Ayna that the ruling party’s police are killing the Kurds who reclaim their rights and language”.