We will be as beautiful as we resist, we will be as free as we dare!
We share our interview with KBDH Council member and TKP-ML KKB representative Çiğdem Vartinik on the occasion of 8 March International Toiling Women’s Day and the 3rd anniversary of KBDH.
– KBDH, while entering 2020, made the statement of “this year it will be fermented by women’s resistance”. What would you like to say about this?
– Firstly, hello to all. I salute the 8th March which is the anniversary of International Toiling Women’s Day and the 3rd anniversary of the KBDH in the all areas of struggle that we can reach by this interview, and I wish success in our struggle to create a free future. To answer the question correctly, it is necessary to take a look at what happened in the women’s struggle front last year. From our point of view, we have seen how the actions that started in Chile, and also where our party practically experienced the idiom “A single spark can start a prairie fire”, have raised women’s struggle in the world and how they have an impact. Also, with women’s strikes, hundreds of thousands of women filled the streets in many countries around the world, in line with various demands. In addition, we witnessed the resistance of the people, especially women, against the invasion of Rojava, where the foundation of a freedom and the women’s revolution created by women with serious labour and sacrifice. We have fight in the front against the fascist Turkish state invasion especially in Serekaniye and Gıre Spi, we became part of this resistance. We saw the rebellion of women who slowly ferment when Emine Bulut said “I don’t want to die” just before she was murdered. Also, last year, we saw the anger and daring of women who didn’t remain silent and did not take single step back from the streets against the all kinds of child abuse and violence on women. We understand that they want to destroy our colours – our lives – our anger, because we are questioning the codes of the patriarchal system, by breaking the “reasonable and acceptable” measures of femininity.
Our party TKP-ML has decided to establish the women’s organization KKB (Communist Women’s Union) with the awareness that the patriarchal system is one of the main problems of the revolution and with the awareness of that the fight against the patriarchal system is among the fundamental duties of our revolution. This is an important place in terms of creating an important position in the women’s struggle that gave colour to 2019.
The AKP-MHP fascist government is increasing its attacks on all working class, especially women, in order to find a cover for the crisis its facing. In addition to these attacks and violence against women and child abuse, now women are increasing their voices and saying more than yesterday. Because any women’s action in a corner of the world no longer stays within the boundaries of that space, in all corners of the world, women have a serious actions and solidarity. Attacks against women and LGBTI+ and resistance against these attacks are becoming more united cross the world. Mainly the common issues are the demands of freedom.
– Speaking of freedom, a topic that all women’s organizations especially highlighted in the last period. What would you like to say about this?
–It’s true, in fact freedom is at the top of the demands of all oppressed class. The patriarchal system is imposed on women from home to workplaces, and when they don’t accept the slavery, they will be “punished” with death. Notice that the women on the streets say, “We want to live.” Previously while the demands for how they wanted to live were highlighted, now they say, “We want a world, where we are not killed!”. The attacks on women are at the highest level. Freedom is the need of all oppressed segments in the imperialist-capitalist system. Freedom is the most fundamental problem of all women in the male-dominated system and its our first demand. Our fight and resistance are already for freedom and for liberation.
We must firstly explain that the women who are punished by all kinds of patriarchal methods are not victims, but the subjects that will destroy this system. In every material of bourgeois media, women shown as a violent “poor”. Without action, thoughts; women are seen as a victimized object that is cursed, beaten, abused and murdered. In fact, the message is clear; You will be thankful all the time, if you cross the line you will be punished with any method listed above!
We have lots of duties at this point. What will be our response to this violence, it’s a must that to go to an organization which will work beyond just seeking rights within the legal boundaries. We are not denying or underestimating this sort of works, but we will not be able to achieve true freedom by staying within these boundaries. We cannot break this violence without using revolutionary violence.
KBDH established with the claim of being a united-military-political organization of women that will organize the violence of women which will target all patriarchal institutions. Its currently true that we are not where we wanted to be and expected from us. However, there are objective conditions to take the women on streets to the illegal struggle which will spread the women’s struggle to the next level. Until now, we have carried out actions targeting the institutions of the patriarchal system, we want to increase these actions.
Women were left defenceless, unarmed, unorganized, with definitions such as “naive”, “peaceful”, “far from fighting” and “beauties”. We don’t accept these beauties, because what is trying to be imposed by them is deepening the slavery. Our only demand is freedom. First, we must create the awareness of freedom. Freedom, comes from organizing. Our call is: “Let’s organize, let’s get armed, lets create the united women’s struggle and be liberated”.
– Finally, what would you like to say…
– We believe we have the power, anger and sacrifice in order to do what we have mentioned, as long as we realize our power. Because while we are being taken to the cremation, we are the witches that who walks towards it with smile, and we dare to put our heads under the guillotine in order to be equal. We are the ones holding the positions on the front in defending the Rojava Revolution. We are the fighters/martyred in the mountains. We are the ones on hunger strikes to break the isolation in prisons. We are the ones who doesn’t leave the streets during the most violent attacks of fascism. Because we are women, we will become more beautiful as we resist and become free as we dare.