20 September 2010
Thousands of Kurds marched in Diyarbakir to show their support to the school boycott campaign.
A march was organized in Diyarbakır from Cigerxwin Cultural Centre to Koşuyolu Park with the participation of thousands, to support the “School boycott” campaign of TZPKurdi (Movement for Kurdish Language and Education).
The march was accompanied by banners written "Bi dewlet û desthilatdariyê na em bi xweseriya demokratîk pergala xwe ya perwerdehiya bi Kurdî ava dikin", “Assimilation is a crime against humanity” and slogans "Bijî Serok Apo", "Öcalan", "Zimanê Kurdî zimanê me ye". The march, against which intense security measures were taken, ended in Koşuyolu Park.
Holding a speech here, TZPKurdi activist Rıfat Öztürk stated that they will boycott schools for education in mother tongue for one week and called democrat environments and all Kurdish people to boycott schools.
Next speaker BDP Co-Chairman Selahattin Demirtaş remarked that they support the campaign of TZP Kurdi and criticized some arguments about the campaign. Recording that demand for education in mother tongue is not a constitutional crime, Demirtaş said that the constitutional crime is the assimilation applied on Kurdish children for many years.
Demirtaş spoke as follows; “This is the motherland of Kurdish people. You can not argue about the demand of people for education in mother tongue, which is an inarguable right and is not a constitutional crime. Those who have assimilated millions of Kurdish people, have committed a crime against humanity. We support education in mother tongue because we want to declare that we won’t be a part of this crime against humanity.”
Demirtaş stated that they will boycott schools for education in mother tongue, by not sending their children to schools tomorrow.
The press statement, which was participated by hundreds besides BDP Group Vice President and Batman MP Ayla Akat Ata, BDP Batman City Cochairs Saadet Becerikli and Şehmus Aslan, Municipality Vice President Serhat Temel and civil society organizations members, was held in front of Batman Municipality.
Speaking Kurdish in the act, BDP Group Vice President Ayla Akat Ata remarked; “It is a great disgrace to assimilate and to restrain a complete language. I support the campaign of TZP Kurdi and I will also not send my 7 years-old child to school tomorrow.”
Following the statements, the mass dispersed chanting slogans "Em zimanê xwe dixwazin", "Bê ziman jiyan nabe".
ANF NEWS DESK /
ANF NEWS AGENCY
