The people coming together in masses on Newroz were an important answer of the Kurdish people in Kurdistan to the Turkish colonialism, the operations carried out against the guerrilla, and the plans of the Turkish state to make the people dependent on it by distributing pasta, coal and washing machines and fridges.

01 April 2009 /International Bulletin / Issue: 80

Newroz 2009 was celebrated in more than 50 locations in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan by the highest number of people ever and by that, turned into the biggest celebration of the last years. In Amed, the capital of Kurdistan, around 1 million workers and labourers and in Istanbul, the heart of Turkey, 500.000 workers and labourers raised their voice on Newroz for peace and freedom. In Batman 100.000 and in Adana 70.000, in Sirnak and Yuksekova together 80.000 people went on the streets on Newroz. In Adana, Newroz was allowed to be an open air celebration for the first time after many years. Mass celebrations took not only place in Kurdistan, but also in different cities of Turkey.
At the celebrations the crowds carried posters and flags showing PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan and wore national clothes in traditional Kurdish colours. Freedom to the Kurdish national movements' leader Ocalan, the acceptance of Ocalan as a political will and the begin of talks on solving the Kurdish question with Ocalan sitting down at the same table with him were the main demands.
The celebrations on Newroz were a suitable answer to the system parties that carried out an intense and fake election campaigning before the local elections. The celebrations were a display of power of the Kurdish people to the system parties and their state. While last year the Kurdish people had two martyrs on Newroz killed by the police, this year everything went mostly quiet. The reason for that is that the AKP planned to increase its votes in the local elections in Kurdistan instead of making the DTP get more votes. The Kurdish question that is remembered by the system parties before every election is answered with military operations soon after the elections. Nevertheless, the Kurdish people will show its will it displayed on Newroz this year at the elections.
The people coming together in masses on Newroz were an important answer of the Kurdish people in Kurdistan to the Turkish colonialism, the operations carried out against the guerrilla, and the plans of the Turkish state to make the people dependent on it by distributing pasta, coal and washing machines and fridges. The celebrations on Newroz first of all in Istanbul and also in the other cities of Turkey reflected the alliance between the Kurdish national movement and some groups of the communist and revolutionary movement formed on the occasion of the local elections on March 29. Our party did not only actively participate in the Newroz celebrations, but was also among the organisers. Our party opened a banner at the rally on Newroz in Istanbul and celebrated the masses' Newroz. Our comrade Tuncay Yildirim, who fell on Newroz in 2002, as well as the martyrs of the Kurdish national movement, who had answered the colonial brutality with setting their own body on fire on Newroz, were commemorated at all Newroz celebrations.

8th March, the International Labouring Women`s Day, was celebrated by tens of thousands of labourer women of every religion and language who went on the street in many cities of Turkey and Northern Kurdistan.
10,000 women gathered in Kadikoy, Istanbul. The Association of Labourer Women ( EKD ) that with its mass and coloured banners and posters made the rally look colourful, as well as the Democratic Free Womens' Movement, the Feminists, female unionists of KESK and DISK chanted the slogans "Long lives women's solidarity" against the ruling patriarchal society. The women said "no vote for the male parties" in the upcoming local elections.
At the rally a woman carried a white dress symbolising Pippa Bacca, who is to be memorised as a peace bride and who had been raped and murdered in Turkey. In Izmir 1,000 women joined the rally for 8th March, among them different women organisations such as ODP , KESK, EKD, UGK. The main slogan focused on was "We have a word to say against the violation against women, the crisis, poverty and racism, and we have the power to change that". In Amed 20,000 women went on the streets. With their clothes in traditional colours the Kurdish women, who had started to celebrate 8th March some days before the elections, chanted slogans for freedom.
At this years' celebrations, young women appeared as an important force among the mass. Young women actively participated in the celebrations in towns such as Manisa, Afyon, Canakkale and Trabzon , and they hanged up banners before 8th March on which it said "Every day is 8th March, every day is a day to struggle".
The women going on the streets on 8th March showed that they are going to revolt against the ruling patriarchal society every day. Once again it was reflected in the slogans and posters that it is the women who are mainly affected by the violence and poverty increasing and by the crisis. Nevertheless, a survey made at Bursa Uludag University before 8th March displayed the result that 86.9% of the female students at that university have been harassed at least once within the university.