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Despite being banned by the Turkish colonialist fascist state, the Newroz demonstration in Amed (Diyarbakir) was carried out with the participation of 1 million Kurdish people on March 18. While banning 106 out of 127 planned demonstrations organised by BDP , the state had announced that it will not let the Newroz celebrations in Istanbul and Amed, but the KCK as well as the leaders of BDP made statements that the actions would be carried out "at any cost".{divide}
They raised their demands formulated in 4 points as: "Democratic Autonomy against non-status", "Education in mother tongue", "Constitutional guarantee for the Kurdish identity" and "Right to organization".
Starting from very early in the morning, an emergency-state-like situation was created in Amed. All the roads opening to the Newroz Square were cut off by the armoured vehicles of the police, thousands of policemen were deployed all around the city and helicopters continuously flied over the city.
No shopkeepers opened their shops throughout the city and thousands of people started to take to the streets with their red-green-yellow flags and dresses in the morning. Clashes with the state forces started and a thick smoke appeared over the city due to gas bombs but also because of the tires burnt by the people to celebrate the Newroz day as fire is the symbol of Newroz.The demonstrators wrote " PKK " even on the police vehicles.After fierce clashes with the police, one million people gathered at the Newroz Square as an important answer to the ban of the AKP government as well as being a respond to the on-going annihilation and denial policies.
The elected representatives of the Kurdish people, among them MPs from BDP, the co-president Selahattin Demirtas, the DTK co-presidents Ahmet Turk and Aysel Tugluk, the elected mayor of Amed Osman Baydemir, were received with great enthusiasm by the masses. The messages sent by the prisoners of PKK and PAJK caused great pleasure, too.
In the opening speech, the following was declared: "Newroz Square is the square of freedom. Those who want to see the will of the Kurdish people should come to see this. Today a new page was opened in the Kurdish history. Nothing can break the Kurdish people's will. The barricades in Amed will be broken and has been broken. The Kurdish people will resist until breaking the doors of Imrali".
Selahattin Demirtas was among the various speakers of the rally. He said: "AKP, look at this! This is Newroz. The people are at the square of freedom despite threats and operations. The people have stood tight-knit around their Leader and party. While Esteemed Ocalan is inside a 10-metre-deep hole, do not expect any solution. Resistance will bring freedom to these people. We no longer want to live without status in Kurdistan"
The slogans shouted most frequently were "This is Amed, this is Newroz!" and "Long live our leader Apo!"
The masses were attacked by the police with gas bombs, pressured water and even real bullets, once more on the way back from the demonstration.
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