DİHA - Dicle News Agency

MARDİN (DİHA) - Thousands of women converged on the border between Qamişlo city of Rojava and Nusaybin district of Mardin to declare that they do not recognize the artificial nation-state borders separating them.

The World March of Women had its kickoff in the border town of Nusaybin yesterday. Today, thousands of women taking part in the march flooded the border zone separating them from women in Rojava, in an action designed to denounce the border and greet the Rojava women's revolution. Women in Northern Kurdistan marched to the border with Cizîre Canton to the accompaniment of traditional erbane, drums and pipes, crying the Kurdish slogans "woman, life, freedom" and "long live the YPJ." The same slogans and the joyful ululations of the women of Qamişlo echoed from across the border.

The rally began with greetings in Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic, English and French. After a minute of silence to honor those lost to femicide, speakers related the history of March 8, International Women's Working Day. A number of important women figures in politics in the region took to the stage to greet the crowd: Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) General Co-chair Figen Yüksekdağ, Democratic Society Congress (DTK) Co-chair Selma Irmak, HDP Mardin MP Gülser Yıldırım, Congress of Free Women (KJA) Coordination and İmralı Delegation member Ceylan Bağrıyanık, and Kobanê Women's Assembly Co-chair Ayşe Efendi. Speakers wished the crowd a happy March 8.

'President Apo will be here with us'

Zinney Algan, of the coordination committee, said that the women assembled here were also a part of the resistance against Daesh waged by YPJ women. Nusaybin Co-mayor Sara Kaya said that women would remove all borders and sent the women's greetings to imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. "We're making a promise here," she said. "Next March 8, President Apo will be here with us."

'Revolution escalated in Rojava under leadership of women'

Figen Yüksekdağ welcomed all the women to Mesopotamia, "a land that brings together beautiful women in revolution. In this land, for the first time, there is a women's revolution going on," she said. "Although some have tried to divide this land with borders, it has presented all women everywhere with the gift of the Rojava revolution. The revolution escalated in Rojava under the leadership of women. And now we as women are going to bring peace to Turkey," said Figen. She said that finding a peaceful solution to the Kurdish problem in Turkey was women's next mission, as the negotiations started by PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan would not advance through the AKP's permission, but through the struggle of women.

'Women will chew up and spit out all borders'

"Women's rebellion is everywhere. The joyous march of women who know no borders, starting here in Nusaybin on the eve of March 8, is a sign of the future. Women will chew up and spit out all borders." She pointed to the barbed wire that the Turkish state erected to separate the women from their counterparts in Rojava. "They couldn't keep us apart with this barbed wire. This barbed wire, like all prohibitions, has become an empty threat. Women knew no borders in their resistance in Kobanê. They will no know borders tomorrow."

'Welcome to dance of women's liberation'

She called on all women to take a greater role in the elections in Turkey, following the example of Rojava, where the gender parity system is in full effect. Figen's party, the HDP, is the only political party in Turkey with a 100% gender parity system for every position. Mardin MP Gülseren Yıldırım sent her greetings to the fighters of the YJA Star and YPJ. "We condemn the borders drawn by the Turkish state," declared Gülseren. "Welcome, sacred women of Mesopotamia, to the dance of women's liberation. Welcome to your march that destroys borders," said DTK Co-Chair Selma Irmak. "To the state that divides Kurdistan into four parts we say: we are one. Kurdish women, who once didn't leave the home, are right now leading women around the world. They know that Kurdish women are not scared of tanks, cannons, arrests and detention. Because Kurdish women's leaders are Zîlan, Bêrîtan and Kader." She mentioned the names of important "martyrs" in the Kurdish liberation struggle.

Ceylan Bağrıyanık, a member of the women's organization Congress of Free Women (KJA) and the only woman civil society activist on the delegation meeting with Öcalan, said that when she met with him recently on İmralı Island where he was imprisoned, he had sent his greetings to all of the women at the rally. She read a message from the PKK leader, which was first released yesterday at a women's rally in the border vigil villages near Kobanê.

Amina Omeri, Kobanê Canton's Minister of Women, wished her best to the women. "Women's Day is a day for all humanity. Women are the very existence of society, the ones who create new life. As women, we came into existence through our resistance," said Amina. She said that Rojava women had secured their freedom and victory through their resistance and truly brought themselves to life.

The Mitanni Culture Center Women's Chorus and singer Rojda performed at the rally.

(cm/nt)