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KURDISH National Language Day was celebrated yesterday despite it being banned, as liberation organisations warned of a cultural genocide against Kurds by the “fascist” state of Turkey.
Umbrella group the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) said resistance was crucial in protecting the Kurdish language, praising the role of Kurdish women in the struggle for freedom of expression.
But it warned that Turkey’s deadly attack on the Afrin district in northern Syria is a threat to the revolution it says is being built in the largely Kurdish Syrian enclave known as Rojava.
Since the launch of Turkey’s monstrously mistitled Operation Olive Branch in January, more than 150,000 people have been driven from their homes, with many living in refugee camps desperately short of water, food and medical supplies.
Nato’s second-largest army has been accused of launching chemical attacks on the people of Afrin. Widespread looting, rape and beheadings have been reported, with claims that Turkey’s jihadist allies have run rampage through the city, which came under Turkish control in March.
KCK said in a statement: “We celebrate the Kurdish Language Day as the most important, critical and consequential process of the revolution.”
It warned that “invaders and fascists” have tried to destroy the language for hundreds of years with bans and harsh punishments, including torture, for those caught speaking it.
The statement added: “These practices of the fascist and occupying Turkish state amount to cultural genocide, according to the United Nations legislation.
“At this crucial moment in the revolution, the invaders want to conclude the cultural genocide with social genocide.”
KCK praised the “Kurdish guerillas” carrying out a revolution in Rojava, proving that another system is possible. “With hope and faith of success, we celebrate the Kurdish National Day,” it concluded.