ANKARA – Artist and peace activist Jülide Kural said that artists must not remain silent in the face of the ongoing attacks on Rojava, despite the continuation of the Peace and Democratic Society Process.

 

Following the February 27 call by Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, a series of steps were taken, including the PKK’s declaration of dissolution and disarmament. Despite these developments, Ankara has continued to issue “threat” statements against North and East Syria. Amid these threats, HTS-affiliated and Turkey-backed paramilitary forces attacked the Şêxmeqsûd and Eşrefiyê neighborhoods of Aleppo, where Kurds predominantly live. HTS later redirected its attacks toward the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, releasing ISIS members held in prisons under its control and once again engaging in actions amounting to an attempt at genocide against the Kurdish people.

 

Turkey’s statements expressing support for HTS, despite the ongoing process aimed at resolving the Kurdish issue, have sparked widespread public reaction. One of those responding to Turkey’s declared support for HTS and its affiliated paramilitary groups is artist and peace activist Jülide Kural.

 

Stating that insufficient public reaction has been shown against the attacks on Rojava due to the Peace and Democratic Society Process not becoming sufficiently mass-based, Kural said:

“If this process in Turkey had become more socialized, if we had been able to overcome, even slightly, the fear of ‘Kurdishness’ that has been hammered into minds for a hundred years, a significant response could have been generated to what is happening today in Syria.”

 

‘THE MOVEMENT MUST BE SUPPORTED’

 

Emphasizing that the Kurdish people in Rojava are facing massacres while society remains a bystander, Kural said:

“We are outraged, because in the face of such an inhumane reality, there is a movement that fought barbarism like ISIS; a movement that, in a region like the Middle East, acts on principles of coexistence, women’s freedom, and ecology, and that has tried to move forward in this direction despite extremely harsh conditions. This movement should be protected, expanded, and supported. No matter what, we must insist on peace and struggle for all the possibilities and potentials of peace.”

 

‘WE MUST INSIST ON PEACE AGAINST CONDITIONS OF MASSACRE’

 

Kural stated that imperial powers constantly shifting sides in line with changing interests expose the peoples of the region to the risk of massacre, while this situation is met with silence. She noted that the demands of peace activists may appear romantic from the outside, but stressed that insisting on peace and struggling for it is vital in order to eliminate conditions that could lead to far greater massacres.

 

‘RESISTANCE WILL CONTINUE’

 

Kural said Turkey fears the growing strength of the Kurdish people and has therefore entered into cooperation with ISIS and HTS, which operates with an ISIS-like mindset. She added:

“Had Turkey instead cooperated with the Kurds, it would have had the possibility of becoming a much more democratic country. The Kurds have a strong tradition of resistance, which we have witnessed recently. I know this resistance will continue. Support for this resistance will come from everywhere. Our support, too, must be not remaining silent. While all these massacres are taking place, while a reality approaching genocide stands there, we cannot remain silent.”

 

‘THE KURDISH WOMEN’S MOVEMENT CANNOT BE DESTROYED’

 

Sharing that she and a group of artists are preparing a joint response to the attacks, Kural said:

“We are making a call toward peace. We refuse to be bystanders. Our stance against massacres is a stance for peace. Socialists also have a major responsibility here. We need more unity and joint struggle. A structure with such a powerful women’s movement may be physically destroyed in numbers, but it cannot be eradicated. It has very strong bonds. As a woman in Turkey who has long been part of the women’s struggle, I have witnessed and struggled alongside Kurdish women and their tremendous resistance. Physical destruction cannot eliminate deeply rooted principles of peace, women’s liberation, ecological awareness, and democracy. That is why we must always struggle side by side. Just as we cannot abandon any people anywhere in the world, we must stand with the Kurdish people and struggle together.”

 

‘THIS WILL INEVITABLY IMPACT THE PEOPLES OF TURKEY’

 

Stating that the attacks are directed not only against Kurds but against all of humanity, and that all peoples must therefore raise their voices, Kural continued:

“If we struggle together against this brutality, we can stop it. It is extremely dangerous for certain powers in government to benefit from this. There is no way this will not ultimately rebound against the peoples of Turkey. The peoples actually possess immense power. Struggle is not only carried out by those who bear arms. If struggle emerges among the peoples themselves, they can overthrow and change all forms of power. In this sense, the Kurdish people have always been left alone because they struggled—for equality, consistently—and built a tradition of struggle. That is extremely valuable.”

 

‘REMAINING SILENT IS NOT AN OPTION’

 

Emphasizing that artists must not remain silent in the face of these attacks, Kural said:

“If we were able to establish a genuine relationship with artistic production, remaining silent would not be possible anyway. The artist is the one who screams, who holds up a mirror to your face. The artist is the one who cries out the truth and seeks reality. Remaining silent in the face of such a reality means being unable to produce art; it means merely carrying out projects. Please, let us not remain silent. Let us struggle together and insist on peace.”

 

MA / Sema Bingöl