KCK: Let’s take to the streets on May 1st

The Co-Presidency of the KCK issued a statement today on the occasion of May 1, International Workers’ Day, which said:

"We celebrate May 1st, the day of solidarity and struggle for all workers, women, youth, and all peoples in general. We salute their struggle against capitalist modernity and all oppressive forces with the spirit of May 1st. At the same time, we commemorate with gratitude and respect all the martyrs who brought May 1st to where it is today, especially the martyrs of May 1, 1977.

We are approaching this May 1st amidst the Peace and Democratic Society Process in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan. In the Middle East, we are entering a period marked by the intensity of the Third World War, as the region undergoes political realignment. It is evident that by 2026, the war in the Middle East and the world will continue to unfold in a multidimensional manner. The future of Turkey and Kurdistan will depend on the course of the Peace and Democratic Society Process and the state of the Third World War. Undoubtedly, the struggle of our peoples will have a decisive impact on this. There is no longer a reality where the political balances in the world and the Middle East are determined solely by hegemonic powers. We are in an era where the future of humanity—both globally and in the Middle East—will be shaped by the struggles of the peoples. We call this the ‘era of the peoples.’

The Kurdish people are no longer as they were one hundred years ago. Through their struggle, particularly over the past 50 years, Kurds have attained significant political and social power across the four parts of Kurdistan—especially in Northern Kurdistan—as well as abroad. There now exists an organized Kurdish social reality. With this standing, they have become a force capable of influencing political developments in the Middle East.

The Kurdish people are approaching May 1st with this organizational and political strength. In the spirit of May 1st—which embodies the understanding of brotherhood among peoples and the concept of the Democratic Nation—the Kurdish people aim to create a democratic Turkey and a democratic Middle East by developing a common struggle. They view democratization as crucial for the democratic resolution of the Kurdish issue. With this understanding, Rêber Apo [Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan] issued the Call for Peace and Democratic Society on February 27, 2025, outlining the path toward the realization of a democratic Turkey. The call of February 27th constitutes a program for the resolution of the Kurdish issue and the democratization of Turkey. The addressees of this call are not only the Kurdish people but also the peoples of Turkey. From this perspective, Turkey’s democratic forces also bear the responsibility to work for the success of the peace and democratic society program.

May 1, 2026, should be taken as an occasion that the Kurdish people and all democratic forces in Turkey stand united in a common stance and struggle for the democratization of Turkey. To this end, May 1, 2026, must be transformed into a platform where the Call for Peace and Democratic Society is embraced and a collective will for struggle is demonstrated.

The struggle for peace and a democratic society is also a struggle for democratic socialist society. Rêber Apo issued the Call for Peace and Democratic Society from a democratic socialist perspective. The line of democratic society socialism enabled Rêber Apo to make such a call in the first place. Rêber Apo seeks to bring to life the values inherent in the spirit of May 1st—the understanding of democratic socialism and the Call for Peace and Democratic Society.

May 1, 2026, is a historic opportunity for the peoples of Turkey. If the Kurdish people and all democratic forces in Turkey take ownership of the Peace and Democratic Society Process—which aims to resolve the Kurdish issue and democratize Turkey—and demonstrate a shared will to struggle in the May 1st squares, then May 1, 2026, will go down in history as a day that brought democracy and freedom.

To this end, we call on all Kurds to join the people of Turkey in filling the May 1st squares with the spirit of Newroz and to raise the banner of struggle that will bring about democratic society socialism.

Long Live Newroz, Long Live May 1st!

Long Live the Brotherhood of Peoples and Joint Struggle!

Long Live Democratic Society Socialism!

ANHA