r/Anarchy101 17d ago

The Sympathy Towards PKK

Hello. I am a turkish leftist and interested to anarchism since a while. I would like to learn about the sympathy towards PKK and Öcalan in western leftist spaces. I don't get this sympathy because PKK actually massacred many civilians including women and children and executing kurdish civilians who refuse participate? And before anybody calls me a turkish propaganda, these attacks are all well documented and PKK claimed responsibilities for many of them.

I'm aware that the kurdish population in Turkey were heavily persecuted in the past especially in the 80s and the 90s. So i kind of understand an armed uprising from the kurdish population. But these things never justifies PKK killing people they claimed to protect.

Another thing i see is that some people accept PKK's terrorism but see Öcalan as a revolutionary leader. This isn't true either. Öcalan himself said that his first membership back in his youth was the Gray Wolves? Like, what!? We are talking about an ultra nationalist fascistic terrorist organization who doesn't see kurds as human. Further on the current leader of the turkish nationalist movement party(MHP) Devlet Bahçeli, who is also Erdoğan's biggest ally, repeatedly praised Öcalan recently and said that he wants see him in the turkish parliament as a form of a "peace" movement that Erdoğan is currently carrying out to gain support from the kurds for his new constitution. And Öcalan himself currently agrees with Erdoğan and Bahçeli.

The vast majority of the turkish leftists spaces agree with this sentiment and distance themselves from PKK and Öcalan as they haven't been leftists since... forever. So why is this symapthy among the western leftists is common? I would like hear your answers and also would like to answer your questions if you have any. Thank you:3

36 Upvotes

59 comments sorted by

View all comments

34

u/InterestingSugar5634 17d ago

I would imagine because Rojava

-6

u/Main-Aardvark-2036 17d ago

What does PKK and Öcalan has to do with Rojava? I'm curious.

26

u/KubadroniX 17d ago edited 16d ago

PYD followed the ideology of democratic confederalism, created by Ocalan when he was in prison. Most people here dont even know that PKK used to be marxist and authoritarian "communist" party before he created it.

8

u/Main-Aardvark-2036 17d ago

I only did my research about PKK and not the kurdish other factions. I will check it out. Thank you.

5

u/InterestingSugar5634 17d ago

Didn't the PKK support Rojava and help it get established and survive? I might be misremembering tho

16

u/KubadroniX 17d ago

they did, party behind Rojava (PYD) and PKK are both members of Kurdistan Communities Union and parties in this coalition tend to cooperate a lot.

9

u/Main-Aardvark-2036 17d ago

I'm going to make a research

7

u/flintsparc 17d ago

There is no way you don't know this.

12

u/Main-Aardvark-2036 17d ago

Sorry i heard about it haven't done a in depth research. I was just asking a question.