Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayor Emin Ay joined a march organised at the call of the DEM Party Women’s Assembly and women’s organisations to defend women’s right to life and strengthen solidarity in response to the increasing number of femicides and male violence against women.

The march was attended by Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayor Emin Ay, DEM Party Diyarbakır Provincial Co-Chair Yunus Muratakan, DBB Assembly Co-Spokesperson Ayhan Karatekin, DBP Provincial Co-Chair Ahmet Doğan, DEM Party MPs Mehmet Kamaç and Serhat Eren, district municipal co-mayors and numerous residents.

‘We are ashamed of the kind of masculinity that kills women’

The crowd gathered in front of the DEM Party Bağlar District Organisation building and marched from there to Karanfil Park. The march was organised to support the struggle women have been waging for years, confront male violence and assume responsibility. A banner reading “We are ashamed of the kind of masculinity that kills women” was carried during the march.

Co-Mayor Ay: We must act for women’s freedom

Speaking after the march, Co-Mayor Ay said that they had gathered today to confront a reality, noting that men had organised a march for the first time against femicide and the killing of women.

‘The result of a male-dominated system’

Stating that violence against women and the killing of women are not individual crimes but the result of inequality and a male-dominated system, Co-Mayor Ay said: “Every day, violence against women and deaths occur. Four women were killed in Diyarbakır in one month. We strongly condemn all of them. We must act for women’s freedom, for women to be equally represented and to take responsibility in all areas of life. If we do not act with this sense of responsibility, we are not separate from any of these crimes being committed. Regardless of a person’s beliefs or views, they need to approach this issue with this awareness. The progress and freedom of society depend on the freedom and progress of women.”

‘Women have led the struggle throughout history’

Stating that freedom, prosperity and peace cannot be possible in a society where women are not free, Co-Mayor Ay said that peace is therefore not possible in the Middle East either. Noting that women have led resistance and struggle throughout history and have also paid the price, Co-Mayor Ay said that the march launched in Diyarbakır was only a beginning and that everyone should further strengthen their solidarity with women.

Stating that they do not accept femicide or violence against women, Co-Mayor Ay said that Diyarbakır is a city of love and memory, and that human and social values in these lands have advanced under the leadership of women.

Co-Mayor Ay concluded by stating that they would fulfil all the responsibilities incumbent upon them to advance women’s freedom.