Recently, Tayyip Erdogan has been talking a lot about bringing people to their knees. They had decided on the ‘Collapse Plan’ to eliminate the Kurdish Movement back in October 2014 at the National Security Council. This is why he is constantly talking about bringing people to their knees. Most recently, he showed his mentality by saying “they can’t bring us to our knees. But they will kneel before us”. In any case, he has no other mentality or policy other than bringing people to kneel before him.

The Kurdish Freedom Movement has no desire to bring people to kneel before it. Making people obey is a sovereignty complex. Bringing people to their knees is a classical form of sovereignty. Tayyip Erdogan is a superannuated leader. Democratic government, an administration of the willing, administration through dialogue are all contrary to this man’s disposition. There is no resemblance of rights, justice, or equality in his nature. If he is the leader, his subjects need to obey.

The Kurdish Freedom Movement is opposed to the principle of obedience. The allegation that the Freedom Movement is aspiring to bring certain people to their knees is a lie. Our leader Öcalan has always reiterated the fact that our aim is not to defeat the Turkish state, it is to democratise it and ensure it solves the Kurdish question. Democratisation is in the interests of all the peoples of Turkey. This is an auspicious aspiration for the whole of Turkey. Within this framework, the free and democratic life of the Kurdish people is their natural right.

Tayyip Erdogan sees the gaining of Kurdish identity, its ability to develop its culture, language and democracy, in short, its self-administration as a defeat for the Turkish state. When he says “we will not kneel” he means “we will not recognise the rights of the Kurds”. Tayyip Erdogan does not possess a democratic mentality, due to this he is insisting on cultural genocide and colonialism. His animosity towards the Kurds and his aim of eradicating the Kurdish people are making him declare things like “we will not kneel; we will make them kneel”. Making the Kurdish people obey him just means ensuring the Kurds do not demand their rights.

The Kurds want to live together with the Turks in Turkey. While the Kurdish Freedom Movement wants to live together, the AKP and its fascist leader is making it impossible for the peoples of Turkey to achieve this. No one is trying to divide Turkey. The biggest separatist in Turkey is Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the policies he is trying to force upon everyone.

Tayyip Erdogan wants to bring everyone to their knees, even academics. By introducing a new definition for “terrorism” he wants to label all those defending freedom and democracy as “terrorists”. The clearest example of this is the recent arrests of Kurdish lawyers who are vehemently defending the Kurdish people. This is a fascistic mentality. Fascist leaders never want the people to disobey them.

An open and clear stance needs to be taken against this type of mentality. Tayyip Erdogan is provoking nationalist and chauvinist sentiment in order to ensure everyone is obeying his chaotic policies. This is why he is always talking abut a non-existent separatism.

Those that do not rid themselves of this nationalist and chauvinist mentality cannot struggle against the AKP. To the contrary, they will be the pillars that uphold the AKP regime. For example, the CHP has fallen into this trap and is nothing other than a walking stick supporting the AKP. Those that call themselves human cannot possibly be in support of the AKP’s policies. Today is the day to show a clear stance against the AKP. Tayyip Erdogan is attacking everyone into submission with his fascistic policies. These are times when people have to show compassion, heart and courage. If this courage is not displayed, fascism will be triumphant.

What the AKP is putting Turkey through is open for everyone to see. This war is using animosity against the Kurds in order for the AKP to stay in power. For years they misused the opportunities afforded to them by the Kurdish Freedom Movement and the Kurdish leader Öcalan. The AKP launched this war because it had no policies for a solution to the Kurdish question, but also because they saw the war and animosity towards the Kurds as a means to consolidate their grip on power.

The allegation that the Kurdish Freedom Movement was preparing for war even when there was a ceasefire and the dialogue was continuing is a lie. The Kurdish people took the decision to resist and declared their self-government when the AKP government rejected our leader Abdullah Ocalan’s efforts for a democratic solution and declared war instead. Anyone with a right mind and a minimal conscience will know that this war was launched when the Dolmabahce agreement was rejected by the state and the isolation in Imrali was reinitiated.

Cemil Bayik