News Center – Under the slogan “With our uprising we weave resistance, and through resistance we build a free and equal life,” the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Parti) confirmed its determination to strengthen women’s solidarity and amplify the voices of women facing various forms of oppression and tyranny.

As part of the celebrations for International Women’s Day on March 8 each year, Khalida Turkoglu announced the party’s program and activities for the occasion in a statement.

Turkoglu stressed that this year’s events, held under the same slogan, will be a pivotal moment to emphasize the values of peace and hope and to reinforce women’s struggle for freedom and equality, while shedding light on the sacrifices of women who have fought for their rights throughout history.

She explained that the party’s statement links contemporary women’s struggles with historical ones, recalling the 1857 struggle of textile workers in New York who demanded equality and were subjected to attempts at annihilation through capitalist policies and massacres. That uprising, she noted, remains a symbol of women’s resistance for freedom and equality.

The statement added that this rebellion, which began in a textile factory in New York, continues to represent a renewed international women’s struggle against oppressive systems that seek to exclude women and their rights.

It also called for commemorating many women activists who gave their lives for the women’s cause, such as Clara Zetkin, Rosa Luxemburg, and Sakine Cansız, as well as contemporary figures who sacrificed their lives, including Jina Amini, Arin Mirkan, and Narges Mohammadi.

“Our struggle is the struggle of each of these women who defied oppression and silence and refused to surrender to conditions of injustice.”

The party affirmed its solidarity with women facing the harshest forms of repression around the world, especially Palestinian women who suffer from attacks by Israeli forces, stating that “in their ongoing struggle against the Israeli occupation, Palestinian women face not only repression but also attempts at genocide.”

The statement also stressed support for women in Iran resisting the ruling clerical system and fighting for their rights and freedom, particularly in light of the recent protests that called for a change of regime.

Regarding Syria, it emphasized the need to stand with Syrian women against the repression they face from all sides—whether from the regime or armed groups—and praised the role of women in Rojava, who have played a central role in resisting dictatorships and advancing women’s rights in the region.

On the attacks targeting women’s resistance movements, the party rejected any attempt to undermine women’s freedom in society, whether through violence against women in wars or through economic policies that harm their rights.

The statement called for holding accountable those responsible for crimes committed against women worldwide, noting that the Epstein case and similar files represent a manifestation of the deep-rooted corruption of the patriarchal capitalist system that exploits women and children.

Women for Peace and Democracy

The statement clarified that women’s struggle is not merely a local rights issue but a global struggle against all forms of oppression, calling for the strengthening of women’s solidarity worldwide to achieve peace and equality.

It also pointed to “the importance of working toward peaceful and democratic solutions to the issues affecting women in the Middle East and the world, as stated in leader Abdullah Öcalan’s call for peace and a democratic society.”

Turkoglu considered this call a foundation for a democratic solution to the Kurdish issue and, from the perspective of women in the party, a guarantee for achieving peace in the region.

The statement addressed the situation of women under oppressive regimes in various countries, noting that women with disabilities and women from minority groups are among the most exposed to discrimination and violence. It stressed the need for solidarity with all women suffering from social discrimination and injustice and called for building a unified front of struggle for their rights and freedoms.

In its conclusion, the statement emphasized that the struggle for women’s rights will not stop and that March 8 is a day to unite women’s forces across the world for comprehensive peace, social justice, and genuine democracy.

Khalida Turkoglu affirmed that “women will not stop fighting for their rights,” noting that March 8 represents an opportunity to assert that “women’s resistance is the only path toward a free and equal life,” and that all spaces will become arenas for women’s protests and strikes on that day in defense of women’s rights against forces of exploitation and oppression