Following the Newroz celebrations in Diyarbakır at the weekend, we asked Serap Altun of the Socialist Labour Movement (SEH), who had taken part, about her impressions.

Around a million in peaceful celebrations

She pointed out that a lifting of a ban on the celebrations has meant that Newroz was celebrated peacefully and calmly.

“They said that the rally area takes 270,000 people. But on Saturday, the area widened with around three times as many people. There was constant circulation. There were around 1 million people.”

Altun believes that the size of the crowd is not only due to the upcoming local elections on 29 March.

Optimism

“What has been emphasised from (Iraqi President) Talabani’s statement has been his call on the PKK to lay down arms, but (Kurdish satellite) Roj TV emphasises that Talabani has said that PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan should be part of the dialogue (for a planned conference on Kurds). He is cited as saying, ‘If there is a Kurdish National Conference, then this conference must include the PKK.’ As far as the Kurds are concerned, their demand for Öcalan’s freedom is not symbolic. They say that Öcalan will be released in a short time, and that all the rights (for Kurds) will be accepted; otherwise, they speak of civil war.”

Ahmet Türk, co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) said in his speech that Kurds considered the local elections as a referendum between the state and the Kurds.

Speaking with many people in the celebration square as well as in Diyarbakır, Altun found that many were determined to benefit from the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) donations but would vote for the DTP.

Other impressions that Altun had were:

• The children and youth in Diyarbakır were very difficult to control. The DTP had problems, and did not really succeed. The people we stayed with later told us that Diyarbakır children blocked the roads when there were electricity cuts. During the Newroz rehearsal, they burnt every tyre they found, despite DTP officials trying to prevent this.
• After the Newroz speeches, the whole area turned into a huge picknick area. There were itinerant food sellers everywhere. Future Newroz organisation committees must demand waste bins in the area.
• The pictures of two young DTP members who died in a traffic accident last year were hung up at the corner of the stage.
• The Piramid gay and lesbian group who joined Newroz for the first time last year were much more visible this year, with their flags.

Türk: We have a dream

In his speech, Türk criticised the policy the AKP was following towards Kurds and expressed what the local elections meant for Kurds:

“In the Kurdish area, there is still a logic of asking ‘how can I fool and cheat the Kurds?’ But Kurds want peace. In Irland, the IRA was included in the dialogue. In South Africa things improved once Mandela had been freed, then the doors of peace opened and black and white came together. In Turkey, there can be no solution if Kurds are not considered. The honourable Abdullah Öcalan needs to be freed.”

He added that the upcoming elections were “a referendum for Kurds.”

“If we show the power of our vote at the ballot, believe me, we will create a good future with you. Our dream is the brotherhood of all people, our dream is the wealth of differences.” (EZÖ/AG)

Click here for photos of the Diyarbakır Newroz. Photos by Serap Altun.