“In the last few days, Turkish Military units have entered northern Iraq in an operation against the guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The Ankara government has defined it as land-based incursion and a “short-term” measure to finally “eliminate” the “rebels”. We are given to believe that Erdogan took the decision to intervene following the PKK attack in Igdir last Tuesday which killed 13 local police officers. But the truth is that for some months now, the Turkish army has being besieging the only entity that has demonstrated it is really able to stop the advance of ISIS.
And Europe stays silent, enclosed in a shell of hypocrisy and opportunism. The “popular resistance” cells have collapsed. They were formed last March when different member states (including Italy) gave the green light to sending in arms to the Peshmerga. Even the government stays silent. There’s not a word from Minister Gentiloni even while the Turkish air force is continuing an indiscriminate attack on rebels and civilians. This is not simply shameful. It’s showing the double standards used by the West where people are ready to tear their hair out when looking at the dead body of little Aylan, but where they are careful to stay silent when their own interests, or the interests of their allies are at stake.
In fact, Turkey is the only member that NATO has in the Middle East. It is in a strategic position (to the East it has borders with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran, to the South East it borders Iraq and to the South, Syria). The USA cannot do without it and the EU feels it has a duty to protect it. It doesn’t matter whether the game play involves the sacrifice of the fundamental rights of a people who for decades have been legitimately claiming their independence and autonomy.
This is why the EU remains silent even in relation to Erdogan’s intentions to change the constitution to give himself more powers and even thinking of the city of Cizre that is now on its last legs – after suffering a blackout for more than a week, without new supplies of food and water. And meanwhile ISIS is moving forward, conquering, and threatening our country, but above all threatening the survival of democracy.
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The M5S has put forward a number of parliamentary motions asking for the recognition of the Kurdish State. Already in August of last year there was a resolution put forward by Carlo Sibilia and another one by Emanuele Scagliusi clearly stating that what the Kurdish people need are not guns, not Kalashnikovs, but protective helmets and rights to an independent state. Instead, someone in Europe and someone in our government have decided to treat them like cannon fodder, while playing at being world emperors in the wake of the errors committed in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. The kurdish people are a people of resistance a people that deserves our support, a people abandoned by the EU that is following its own strategic interests. Don’t cry any longer gentlemen, because the tears shed over the photo of little Aylan are not enough to salve your consciences. “
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