VAN - Despite all the preventions of the police in Van, citizens marched in many parts of the city and attended the meeting held by the Kurdish Language and Culture Network. Citizens who wanted the Kurdish language to be the official language at the meeting said "Bé Ziman Jiyan Nabe".

 

Kurdish Language and Culture Network, made an action within the scope of the petition launched on February 22, demanding that Kurdish be the education and official language, in Van with the slogans "Let the Kurdish language be the official and educational language in Turkey" and "Let the 21st century be the century of the Kurdish language". Citizens who gathered in groups at the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Provincial Building and at many points in the city to go to Musa Anter Park in İpekyolu district, where the event would be held, encountered with police prevention. Democratic Regions Party (DBP), Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and Human and Freedoms Party (PİA) provincial organizations, Confederation of Public Employees’ Trade Unions (KESK) Branches Platform and representatives of many non-governmental organizations were among the group gathered in front of HDP Provincial Building. 

 

They came to the provincial building on a walk

 

In front of the HDP İpekyolu District building located in Beşyol, a group including HDP Deputy Murat Sarısaç took a walk towards the provincial building using Cumhuriyet Street. The marching crowd united with the group gathered in front of the HDP Provincial Building and chanted “Be Ziman Jiyan Nabe”. The police tried to prevent the citizens who shouted slogans and applauded for a long time. The police threatened to intervene, using the ban on actions and activities imposed by the governor's office, which has been going on for five years.

The crowd gathered in Ehmedê Xanî Park and Art Street, and marched with the banner "Bila Kurdî bibe zimanê fermî û zimanê perwerdehiyê" and came in front of HDP Provincial Building with the slogans "Bê ziman jiyan nabe" and "Zimanê me hebuna me ye".

 

Hundreds of people gathered here, Democratic Society Congress (DTK) Co-chair Berdan Öztürk, Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Keskin Bayındır, Human and Freedom Party (PIA) Chairperson Mehmet Kamaç, HDP MPs, Kurdish Language Platform and Kurdish Language and Culture Network members, Free Women’s Movement (TJA) activists and the Peace Mothers Council accompanied. 

 

‘We will not kneel down’

 

DTK Co-chair Berdan Öztürk, who made a statement here, said that the rally they wanted to hold was banned and stated that they encountered fascism in every field. Berdan said: “I am calling out to those who do this; Your going is near. Both you and your governor will give an account before the law. Every language is important to humanity. But attacks against Kurds continue in four parts of Kurdistan. In Turkey, everything made monist by implementing a one nation, one state, one language policy. The trustees appointed to the municipality first attacked the language. Because they know that if language is destroyed, culture, self disappears. We defended our language against all oppression and attacks. We did not and will not kneel. The Kurdish problem must be resolved in this country.”

 

‘Kurdish should be the language of education’

 

Bawer Berşev, Secretary of the Kurdish Language Platform and the Kurdish Language and Culture Network, said: “We were going to hold a rally, but our rallies were not allowed. As a platform, we have a target of 1-2 million signatures to make our language official and the language of education. We will collect this number of signatures even if it is not allowed. As a platform and as a people, we will fight until the day when Kurdish will be the official language. We will send the collected signatures to the European Union (EU), the Ministry of National Education and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. It should be known that assimilation begins at school, so Kurdish should be the language of instruction in schools.”

 

‘Kurds did not kneel down despite brutal attacks’

 

Speaking afterwards, PIA Chairperson Mehmet Kamaç said that they continue to work to make 2021 the year of the Kurdish language and make it official in schools. However, Mehmet, who stated that the isolation against Kurds continues in language as in every field, said: “Those who open mosques in Istanbul and read verses should know that every language, every identity is a verse of Allah. Mr. President, the Kurdish language is a verse. To ignore the Kurds is to deny the verse of Allah. We, 60,000,000 Kurds, will work to make Kurdish an official and educational language in Turkey. Everyone should act together, no matter where they stand. We remind; There have been brutal attacks on the Kurds for years, but the Kurds did not and will not kneel down.”

 

After the statement, the public was invited to participate in the petition. Afterwards, the citizens, who went to the garden of HDP Provincial Building, danced the halay accompanied by the music played.