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2009 has become the year during which the biggest celebrations in comparison to the last years took place. In many different cities of Turkey and Northern Kurdistan millions of people in their traditional clothes with Kurdish colours raised their voice for peace and freedom. The celebrations took place in first of all Amed, the heart of Kurdistan, as well as in Batman, Van, Urfa and other Kurdish cities and in Turkey in Istanbul and other cities. At the celebrations the state's policy of annihilation and denial was exposed once again. Shortly before the local elections, it was called upon to vote for the candidates of the DTP and the platforms of progressive forces. {divide}
In Amed, 1 million people gathered at Newroz Park and celebrated a historical Newroz as this has been the highest number of people celebrating Newroz in Amed so far. After a minute's silence all speeches were made in Kurdish and it was declared that no peace could be achieved in the Middle East without sitting down at the table with the Kurds. At the celebrations in Amed, Diyarbakir mayor candidate Osman Baydemir, DTP co-president Ahmet Turk and former DEP deputy Leyla Zana held speeches. PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan imprisoned at the isle Imrali sent a message which was read out. DTP co-president Turk said in his speech that it could be only talked about peace in case Ocalan would be released. Turk emphasized that the local elections on March 29 would be a referendum for the Kurds and said that the Kurds must show that they would defend their own identity and party. The celebrations ended with lighting the Newroz fire a concert.
In Istanbul 500.000 gathered at Kazlicesme Square to celebrate Newroz. DTP co-president Emine Ayna said in her speech: "National questions are solved with the leaders of this people. In South Africa the national question was solved with Nelson Mandela. Before, Celal Talabani and Mesut Barzani had been called terrorists. And now, they are sitting down at the same table with them. If the national question will be solved in Turkey, then they must sit down with Mr. Ocalan at the same table. You can't continue still calling our people's leader a terrorist. The solution will be achieved through the Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Ocalan. You must sit down at the table with Ocalan. Stop calling him a terrorist. You must be considered as the leader of a people, and the national question must be solved." Akin Birdal, mayor candidate of the "Platform We can succeed together" of Istanbul, made a call in his speech: "Let's say no on March 29 to the neoliberal attacks of the AKP and the status quo and Ergenekon politics of the CHP ". Birdal also reminded that March 21 is the anniversary of the kidnapping and disappearance under arrest of Hasan Ocak. Following this, the mass shouted the slogan "Sehit namirin". In the speech held in the name of the ESP that joined the celebrations with a banner read "Labourer solution to the Kurdish question" it was said that the state is afraid of the Turkish and Kurdish people meeting at some point and that the solution of the Kurdish question could only be the labourers' solution. At the rally Istanbul deputies Sabahat Tuncel and Ufuk Uras held speeches, too. Besides the DTP, progressive and revolutionary organisations such as the ESP, ODP , EMEP , EHP and Partizan joined the celebration. Our party MLCP's forces opened the banner read "Long live the brotherhood of the people" and raised the slogans "Long live our party MLCP" and "More and more serhildan , freedom to Kurdistan".
In Adana, 70.000 people gathered and celebrated Newroz for the first time outside any hall. While the majority of the people were women, the mass carried pictures of Yahya Menekse who had been ran over by a tank during the protest march on the anniversary of the conspiracy against Abdullah Ocalan last year in Sirnak. In the speeches made at the rally it was reminded that before the elections on July 22, Erdogan had promised to solve the Kurdish question in a peaceful way, but that after the elections cross-border operations had been carried out.
In Batman Newroz was celebrated by more than 100.000 people. 100.00 people shouted the slogan "Our votes are our honour, honour can't be sold" and declared that in the local elections Batman as the castle of the heroes won't vote any other than the DTP.
In Yuksekova and Sirnak altogether 80.000 people gathered to celebrate Newroz. The mass carried the pictures of Ikbal Yasar and Fahrettin Sadal who had lost their lives during the Newroz celebrations last year.
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