Statement From The National Liberation Front Of Kurdistan (ERNK)
Concerning Attacks On Kurdish Institutions

November 20, 1998

To our patriotic people, and to the international public opinion:

     In the face of the international plot which has developed
against our chairman Apo, our people have been drawing the
attention of the entire world. Through their commitment to him -
even to the point of death - our people have encircled the
leadership with a ring of fire. And through the mobilizations
by friends of the Kurdish people, together with the Kurds
themselves, which are taking place in many regions, we are
experiencing a moment of national pride. This situation is
driving the colonial fascist Turkish government, and the
racist circles surrounding it, into confusion.
     Our racist enemies find themselves in a position of weakness
in the face of our national pride, and in order to seek revenge,
they attack our people with all possible methods. The Turkish
state and its lords are in an uproar. Two peoples, who have lived
together in harmony for centuries, are being stirred up to fight
against each other. To do this they employ hideous media smear
campaigns and the unfathomable methods of fascism. They are
utilizing fascist groups to attack our institutions while the
police and security forces just look on. In ways which are not
even acceptable under the rules of war, they are employing
inhumane methods to lynch our patriotic people before the eyes of
the world. During the most recent attacks, thousands of our
patriots have been arrested. It is now beyond a doubt that the
Prime Minister of Turkey is himself a gang member. The
provocative statements which have been made by the Prime
Minister, the political parties, and Turkey's ambassadors in
Europe, and especially by the dirty Turkish press, are inspiring
fascist circles to carry out barbaric attacks on our institutions
in Europe, with civilians not being able to defend themselves.
These attacks are taking place in all regions of our nation.
Their aim is to completely erase our history. To realize these
plans, they view any attack as an honorable undertaking. The result
has been attacks on many Kurdish institutions in Turkey and
Kurdistan and the forceful breaking up of all solidarity
hungerstrikes. Among the hungerstrikers in Amed (Diyarbakir), one
patriot named Hamit Cakir was killed during a bestial attack. These
is no end to these barbaric attacks in sight, the aim of which is
to turn the Kurdish and Turkish peoples against one another.
     We are warning the Turkish state. They should not play with
fire. And we say: "Don't play with fire, or you might get
burned!"
     The barbaric conduct of the Turkish state cannot intimidate
our people, and the proof of this is the dedication they have
shown to their leader, even to the point of death. The Turkish
state cannot penetrate the ring of fire which our people have
created around their national leadership. On the contrary, our
people will expand and strengthen this ring. And when possible,
this ring of fire will burn the depraved chains of fascism. For
this reason, our people will resort to and make use of their
legitimate right to self-defense. The bandit state of Turkey must
take responsibility for anything which happens from this point
on. Our people in Europe will defend themselves, without letting
themselves become provoked. Our national institutions should seek
protection in cooperation with the state authorities in the areas
where they are located.
     As long as these attacks by the enemy continue, all Kurds in
the world should continue their resistance. In order to achieve a
positive result, actions and events in Kurdistan, Turkey, and
Europe should continue at the same speed, but with more joy and
morale. Our people in Kurdistan and Turkey must not give in to
the provocations by the Turkish Republic, which seek to turn the
Kurdish and Turkish peoples against each other. They should
rather protect themselves from attacks by fascist gangs, remain
alert, and take appropriate measures. Our people must not be
repressed and they must continue their resistance until victory.
And we stress once again, our people should make use of their
right to self-defense.
     We call on the European Union and the United Nations,
international democratic mass organizations, and human rights
institutions to remain attentive to the dirty attacks which are
being directed at our people, and to engage themselves more to
increase the security of our people. They should take measures of
security against these various provocations. We should view the
coming days as a prime opportunity to reach a possible victory.
These are historic moments. This joy and amazement should steer
us towards greater pride. This phase will undoubtedly speak for
us at all levels.

National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK)
November 20, 1998

(Source: Kurdistan Information Center, Cologne; Translated by Arm
The Spirit)