MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

 Amed (Diyarbakır)- Women have organized activities, events and protests in Turkish and Kurdish cities to mark the International Women’s Day. In Kurdish cities, the Free Women’s Movement (Kurdish: Tevgera Jinên Azad-TJA) will organize rallies on March 8. One of these rallies will be held in Amed. Women, who will participate in the rally at Amed’s Istasyon Square, will also celebrate Newroz on March 21 and cast their votes in the local elections to be held on March 31 with the same enthusiasm.

 In Amed, where the activities and events for International Women’s Day will last a week, women visit home by home to invite women to participate in the rally led by Dicle Amed Women’s Platform (DAKAP) with the motto, “Towards Freedom with Jin, Jiyan, Azadi”. “Let's stand side by side and demand our freedom,” DAKAP members said.

 ‘We should unite and be in solidarity’

    

In her speech, Fatma Beyoğlu first talked about the upcoming local elections. “As women, we should unite against the patriarchal and monistic government in the elections. There are serious burdens on us, women. We are subjected to attacks and our gains are under constant attack. We want women to be free and organized.” She also talked about International Women’s Day and said, “On March 8, we defend our rights and raise our voices against the attacks. We are getting ready for both the elections and March 8 with great enthusiasm and excitement. With this enthusiasm, we will unite and celebrate International Women’s Day and go to the polls to send back the misogynistic trustees. As women, we should unite and be in solidarity.”

 ‘We will take to the streets with our colors and our voices’

    

“When spring comes, the activities of women intensify,” Elif Turan said, “On March 8, we will flock to the streets with the same hope and determination. We will voice our demands. We will take our gains back with our own strength and will. I call on all women of Amed to participate in the rally on March 8. Women are always attacked and targeted and women should unite against these attacks. The appointed trustees, who have usurped local governments, have been attacking women's gains for eight years because they want to destroy the co-presidency system and the unity of women. We have not bowed to these attacks for years and we will not bow to them. We will work 24 hours during this month. We will unite and raise our voices against all kinds of oppression.”

 ‘Women will send the trustees back’

   

Nesibe Haran told us that they started their activities days ago. “We expect great enthusiasm and participation. All women should take to the streets on March 8 for their rights. There is no life without women. Both men and the state aim to deprive women of life. As women, we demand freedom and peace. Today, political prisoners are on a hunger strike and our young people are killed. The trustees appointed to our municipalities have usurped all women's organizations and centers. On March 31, we will send the trustees back.”

 ‘We should flock to the streets’

   

In her speech, Leyla Eleftoz Baran called on all women to participate in the rally on March 8. “We will carry the enthusiasm of March 8 to March 21 and March 3. As women, we organize ourselves in all facets of life. We will always organize ourselves and be in solidarity with each other. I call on all women to flock to the streets on March 8 to voice their demands.”