Largely below the radar of the mainstream media, the Turkish army has intensified its assault on Kurdish people in Afrin.
Turkey’s President Erdogan, infamous for his attacks on democracy at home, has announced that within days, Afrin will be under siege.
The Kurdish soldiers based in Afrin are described as terrorists by Erdogan. This is despite the fact that across the world people have been inspired and humbled by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units’ resolve, determination, and bravery in leading the fight against Daesh (IS) in Kurdistan, Syria and Iraq.
The Kurdish people, suppressed for decades in their own land and under military bombardment for years, have shown a dedication to democracy and human rights that should be seen as a beacon of light in the darkness of the bloodiest conflict that many will likely remember.
Plaid Ifanc has a deep admiration for the Kurdish people, a strong relationship with Wales’ Kurdish community, and is desperately concerned with the lack of international condemnation of the Turkish state’s actions.
At our recent National Council in Borth, Plaid Ifanc’s delegates passed a motion stating our firm belief that “the International Community, especially the European Union’s silence on this issue is shameful” and that “serious measures must be taken to alienate the Turkish State on the International stage for committing such atrocities against a democratic and peaceful people.”
Today, as Erdogan’s troops march on Afrin, we reiterate that call.
We call on the international community to condemn this assault. We call on the British state to put itself on the right side of history. We call on the Welsh Government to speak out on our nation’s behalf.
We should all state, in one clear voice, with no doubt and no hesitation, that the Kurdish people are among the rare heroes of this war, that Erdogan is behaving like a terrorist, and that the world will not stand for it.
