05.03.2025
dear comrade …,
we, as KAF* and people outside Turkey, wanted to, in light of the changes after the fall of the Assad regime, as well as the attack on Rojava and the more recent call from PKK leader, Abdulla Ocalan, would like to ask you.
KAF: What is the reaction of the Turkish people in general to the interference of the Turkish government, intelligence agencies and army in neighboring countries, especially in Syria/Rojava and the Kurdistan Region?
A.i.a.a.: People living in Turkey have been very divided politically, especially in the last 15 years. Since its establishment, the state has been trying to derive its legitimacy from the “enemies” around its borders. This is how it tries to justify the oppressive policies it pursues inside and outside its borders. On the other hand, nationalist propaganda as a whole confronts people from an early age. It tries to allocate loyalty to the state through citizenship. Through educational institutions, religious institutions, the military and cultural assimilation, society is kept in a nationalist political ideology. There are groups of people for whom this propaganda is successful. This is an undeniable reality in Turkey. Nevertheless, there are also groups of people who stand against this nationalist propaganda. People of different ethnicities and religious sects, as well as many people from revolutionary traditions or influenced by revolutionary culture, oppose these aggressive policies.
However, expressing this is considered a crime in Turkey. Therefore, as soon as these objections turn into a political expression, people face great pressure. There are also groups that are nationalist but oppose the current government’s aggressive foreign policies. Although these groups see the issue as wrong foreign policies, they are quite distant from the Kurdistan policy.There are also groups that are nationalist but oppose the current government’s aggressive foreign policies. These nationalists see the issue as wrong foreign policies, but are quite
distant from the Kurdistan policy.Especially the recent attacks on Rojava have been criticized by DEM and leftist parties. Nationalist and Kemalist groups, on the other hand, criticize the cooperation with jihadist groups in Syria. So the division is generally like; proKurdish party DEM and leftist allies, Kemalist-secular-nationalist party, anti-Erdoganist nationalists, pro-Erdoganist nationalists, pro-Erdoganist jihadists and so on. As you see, many different perspective.
KAF: What is the reaction of ordinary people in different parts of Turkey to Ocalan’s recent message, especially in Istanbul, Ankara, Dersim, Amed and Hakkari?
A.i.a.a: I mentioned in the first answer that there are different political convictions and their interpretation of Ocalan’s call is quite different. But there are positive and negative reactions from
pro-Erdoğan and anti-Erdoğan groups. The Peace Process is not a new topic in Turkey. There is an infrastructure for this. Those who want peace of course want this process to go positively. Of course, in the eastern and southern cities where the Kurdish movement is strong, and in big cities like Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, the public is more supportive of this process. In the regions where the nationalist parties and Erdoğan’s party are strong, there are some people who think that this process is necessary, even if there is not full support.
KAF: What is the attitude of the leftist in general and anarchists towards this message?
A.i.a.a: As in the first peace process, it is possible to say that leftist and anarchist individuals and groups welcomed the process positively. During the peace process, the Kurdish freedom movement insisted on one issue:
peace with honor. In other words, the movement was never in favor of a peace that left it in a negative situation. In the first process and in the current process, if the Kurdish movement views the process positively, it is considered to be taking this condition into account.
If the direct actor of the issue sees the process positively, I don’t think those who support the Kurdish movement will object. On the other hand, entering into such a process may have raised the hope of a positive political process for the left and anarchist groups, who are currently in a difficult position due to the politics of repression and violence.
KAF: Do you, the leftist, libertarian and anti-war people/organization in general believe that the Turkish government, especially the AKP, is ready ending the war, its attack and destruction and the damages have done to Turkish and Kurdish community , or you thinks this so called peace process is a tactic to destroy Rojava and its supporters?
A.i.a.a: It is actually difficult to answer this question. Because ever since the peace process was announced, the state has not reduced its policies of oppression and violence, in fact it has increased them. Appointing trustees to municipalities, arresting politicians, continuing operations beyond Syria, continuing nationalist discourse and practices have not stopped. Of course, it would not be wrong to look for a tactic in the state’s first discourse on this peace process. To think that the state has suddenly abandoned its war policies and is pro-peace would be naive to say the least. However, this tactic should not only be associated with the goal of destroying Rojava. This tactic may have also been a necessity for the state. Even if the deal with the jihadists in Syria seems to be in the state’s favor, the Middle East’s turmoil cannot be solved by a single tactic. Likewise, despite being subjected to many attacks, the Kurdish movement feels a great deal of support in the geographies where it moves. Perhaps the state may have been forced into this peace maneuver because of the mobility in the Middle East. As revolutionaries and those in favor of social fraternity, of course we need to be in favor of peace and really build peace. Not because we trust the state’s promise of peace, but because we believe in the freedom of peoples and in internationalism.
- since 2012, KAF contacts with many anarchist individuals and groups in Turkey, especially in Kurdish cities, have been cut off day by day after the atmosphere of repression and violence prevailed.
Anarkistan ئەنارشیستان 