Urban women militants of YDG-K: we are ready to defend our people
AMED – The urban women’s militant group Patriotic Revolutionary Young
Women (YDG-K) has called on all women to learn to defend themselves and
to take to the streets against the ruling AKP’s warmongering in Turkey.
The ruling AKP government in Turkey has introduced a new form of war
over recent weeks in Kurdistan. The new approach has included air
strikes; a furious wave of police raids; declaration of “security zones”
in villages; police blockades of urban neighborhoods; and the burning
of forests and villages by soldiers.
The YDG-K, an urban women’s militant group, has announced that its
urban neighborhood units are prepared to defend against this new form of
war. Yekta Ardıl, speaking on behalf of YDG-K, issued a call for all
women to struggle for freedom. In their statement, the women of YDG-K
denounced the isolation of the jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan over
recent months, calling it an attempt to break the will of Kurdish youth
and especially young women. “Just as a rose defends itself with its
thorn, all young women need to develop self-defense mechanisms
everywhere, in every space,” said Yekta. “Being both young and women
means we have a serious responsibility. We will fulfill this
responsibility in every neighborhood and on every street. Developing our
self-defense is our legitimate right; we are ready to strike back
against those who would block this.”
In the statement, the young women pledged to train themselves in
preparation for self-defense and if necessary to dig trenches in urban
neighborhoods to defend themselves against state forces. “As our leader
said, women’s freedom is Kurdistan’s freedom,” said Yekta. “We will take
revenge in every place and in every space for what the fascist state
has done.”
