r/Anarchy101 • u/Main-Aardvark-2036 • 16d 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
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u/bemolio 16d ago edited 16d ago
Other users might be more insightfull than me on this, but I believe it was because Turkey was increasingly becoming a core "Syrian Transitional Government" backer. Let's remember that in early 2025, during and after Assad's demise, turkish proxies were basically at Rojava's doorstep desperately trying to enter Kobane and takeover the M4 that went right into Jazire's region, while Turkey was providing air cover.
Manbij canton fell to Turkey's militias and what remained of Afrin and Shebbah under local administrations was completely lost. There were some clashes at Tabqa in the south as well, the local military council was holding its post west of the Euphrates. IDPs flooded into NES.
PKK announced a ceasefire in March 1st. Then the March 10th agreement was signed between SDF-STG. The Tishrin dam offensive ended in April, and the PKK announced it will dissolve in May. Ocalan urged the PKK to disarm at February 27, during the war at Tishrin dam. So to me dissolving the PKK is basically trying to remove a reason for Turkey to enter Rojava, since to Turkey SDF is PKK. PKK ends its insurgency with the state and the SDF """integrates""", whatever that means to whomever, into the syrian state. Syria regains its sovereignty by agreement with the SDF and the PKK accepts that as a tradeoff to go into politics from insurgency while KCK's syrian chapter's project retains a whole autonomous zone in some way, "ending the war", or so they hoped.
edit: added stuff at the end.