JINHA

IZMIR – Tens of thousands gathered yesterday for Newroz in Izmir. Speakers from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and the Labor Party celebrated the joint resistance of the Kurdish and Turkish people at the celebration.

The Newroz stage was hung with the photographs of struggling women and men who immolated themselves alive on Newroz—ZekiyeAlkan, MazlumDoğan and RahşanDemirel—along with a photograph of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. The field was packed with red, green and yellow clothes and posters of the jailed PKK leader. Police did seize a photograph of Abdullah Öcalan at the checkpoint.

After a moment of silence, organizing committee member HacayYılmaz; Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) İzmir Provincial Co-Chair CavitUğur; and Labor Party (EMEP) Chair Selma Gürkan gave speeches to kick off the celebrations.

"The ball is in the hands of the powerful now," said Selma, commenting on the ongoing process for the peaceful and democratic solution to the Kurdish problem. She mentioned recent comments from the AKP indicating reluctance to advance the discussions. "The Kurdish people and the forces of labor will be the ones to defeat these palace intrigues."

After Selma's speech, the Newroz fire was lit in the arena by visiting Diyarbakır Co-Mayor GütanKışanak of the HDP, Peace Mothers and mothers of guerrillas and old videos of the PKK leader were shown on a giant LED screen, meeting with cries of "long live the leader Apo" from the crowd.

"I've brought you the feelings of peace and fraternity from Amed," said GültanKışanak, referring to the Newroz celebrations that took place the day before in the city of Diyarbakır (Amed). "We're proud that we have come to the point of having such a strong holiday today. It wasn't easy getting here."

The co-mayor mentioned MazlumDoğan, the PKK political prisoner who burned himself alive in his cell on Newroz, 1982, while jailed in the wake of the coup of September 12, 1980.

"If Mazlum Doğan had submitted to the fascist coup, if he hadn't made his body into the flag of resistance, we wouldn't be winning out here in the squares today," she said. She also mentioned RahşanDemirel, who carried out a similar self-immolation action in Izmir itself.

"We say to them, this resistance wasn't for nothing. Rahşan, this, this here is Newroz. The fire you lit in the castle is here in Izmir today."

Gültan also mentioned the attack on Kobanê, supported by the AKP who permitted Daesh gangs to cross the border, against which so many resisted.

"The victory in Kobanê is the victory of the Turkish and Kurdish people. Just as we struggled in the Kobanê resistance, we struggle in Izmir together," she said. "There are some people who don't accept this people, people for whom fascism is in their disposition."

She said Abdullah Öcalan's message was a sign of the movement towards peace among the peoples of the Middle East.

The celebration finished off with songs from a number of musical groups.

(ekip/mg/cm)