Symposium between PYD, Die Linke
In cooperation with the Left Party of Germany (Die Linke), PYD held a public symposium on Thursday (May 30th) in the German city of Giessen, attended by dozens of university students from the Union of German Socialist Students(SDS) linked to the International Left.
After holding a minute of silence on the souls of the martyrs, the representative of the Die Linke delivered a welcoming speech in which she said: “As you know, we hold these symposiums throughout the year and this week’s symposium is dedicated to the people of our friend and we participated many activities with them of sit-ins, marches, and demonstrations. Today’s seminar on the icon of the revolution in Rojava and the Syrian north … about the Kurdish women, their suffering and their role. On this occasion, I called on the member of Kongra Star Khadija Berkat to answer your questions and describe the situation of women there.
Khadija Berkat said, “In the name of the women’s organization of PYD, I welcome you all, the Kurdish women have been subjected to double injustice, oppression of the male society prevailing in the East, oppression of the occupying forces of Kurdistan , and the suffering of Kurdish women in the Kurdish city of Afrin occupied by the gangs supported by the government of the Justice and Development Party(AKP) and President Erdogan.”
Berkat continued, “with the launch of the Kurdistan Liberation Movement and the adoption of women’s freedom primarily in the liberation of peoples, Kurdish women joined strongly to the ranks of the movement, breaking the dependency restrictions and slavery, and over the forty-year-old Kurdish women have made enormous sacrifices and were able to take natural position, and assumed the leadership of the community and the civil organization in Rojava, , and with the start of the July 19 Revolution, the Kurdish women hastened to stand beside men in all fields, to join the ranks of YPJ and HPC in addition to active participation in the establishment of the communes, which is based on the organizational and political life in Rojava.”
Berkat also pointed to the role of the occupation forces, led by Turkey, in targeting Kurdish women
Berkat said that the Turkish occupation state is aware of the role of Kurdish women so the Kurdish women were put on the list of their objectives and the assassination of Kurdish activists in Paris by the Turkish intelligence and the practices of the Turkish occupation in Afrin by it mercenaries of Turkey against the martyrs and the attack on Afrin women detained in Afrin only continuation of that policy” “But everyone knows that Kurdish women will continue to lead the community and will continue to do everything for that.
After Khadija Berkat ended her speech, she responded to the audience’s questions in detail as she said about the American withdrawal and its consequences,” When we started our revolution, we did not count on anyone … Yes, the coalition forces against terrorism helped us a lot but the force on the ground remains the basis.”
In response to a question about the relationship with the Peshmerga, Berkat replied: Peshmerga is a Kurdish force that has provided us with the support in Kobanî as well as in al- Bagouz. We have supported Shengal and other areas in the Başûr Kurdistan in the war against terrorism we are ready to help them when needed and anywhere.
With regard to the management of Rojava and if (PYD) is the one who governs it?
Berkat said: “Who runs Rojava is the Democratic Autonomous Administration and the Democratic Union Party (PYD) is as the other parties involved in this administration, but its popular base may be more extensive and this is normal.
A question has been asked about the arrests in Rojava, where Berkat answered:
“In Rojava, despite the difficult state of war there are laws enacted according to the political situation and the security situation, and these laws may not suit everyone for a number of reasons. The most important of these is the subordination of some foreign agendas that do not serve Syria, “We are fully aware of the media war being waged by our enemies, and it is also in the same field that we are fighting in Rojava.”
The question has also been asked about the status of mercenary families?
Berkat said: “Yes, there are thousands of them, especially women and children, the Autonomous Administration has appealed to all countries to receive their citizens. There are many of them, especially children, who need psychological treatment, rehabilitation and others, but unfortunately, there is a failure by most organizations and countries.”
As for the silence of the European governments, especially Germany, about the violations of NATO member (Turkey) in Afrin, Berkat said: “hiding behind the state of fear and blackmail practiced by Turkey against the EU countries by threatening them with the refugees sometimes and sometimes with suicide bombers, is not justified by this disgraceful silence. We all know the rules of the game and the story of the sale of stored weapons … We felt the pain as Kurdish women when we saw the German industry (leopard tanks) in the hands of the terrorist groups and mercenaries supported by Ankara in Afrin, and we have suffered so much when we saw a state like Germany whose prime minister is a woman, is turning a blind eye over such violations.
In the end, Berkat called on the international community to put pressure on the Turkish occupation state to withdraw from Afrin and called on all international organizations to play their role in assisting all the displaced in the camps of the north of Syria, especially in al-Shahba.
