Partizan – Statement on the Munzur Festival in Turkey
We have previously written about the Munzur Culture and Nature Festival, where this year the music groups Grup İsyan Ateşi and Grup Yorum as well as the Armenian folk dance group Veradarz were banned from participating by the local government.
We share some excerpts from a statement issued by Partizan regarding the bans and the obstruction of the festival.
“The Munzur festival has been organized by revolutionary democratic institutions since 1999. Since the day it was first organized, festival activities have been subjected to the state’s blocking/banning attacks. However, the institutions organizing the festival acted with an organized attitude against all these attacks of the state, based on the understanding of de facto legitimate struggle.
(…) Regarding the festival to be held this year, the state is attacking the progressive/revolutionary essence of the festival by insisting on their offensive policies by preventing Grup İsyan Ateşi, Grup Yorum and Veradardz Folk Group from participating in the festival. (…) In addition, the members of the Grup İsyan Ateşi were detained in the center of Dersim under torture and taken to Erzincan, outside the provincial borders.
(…) However, the fact that the Festival Organizing Committee did not show any reaction in the face of these attacks, (…) positioning itself according to the determined rules, is directly related to the attitude that turns its back on the actual legitimate struggle.
(…) The 21st Munzur Culture and Nature Festival cannot be organized according to the rules determined by the state. Because the slogan featured in the festival program expresses an objection against the attack policy of the state. The attitude of revolutionary institutions should also be to take a stand against the prohibitions of the state and to struggle to overcome these prohibitions. In this context, we call on all of our people to embrace the festival on the basis of the de facto legitimate struggle, and to embrace the Grup İsyan Ateşi, Grup Yorum and Veradadz Folk Group against the attacks of the fascist state to isolate them from the masses; We invite all participants in the program to expose the attack policy of the state, to embrace the relevant groups and to be their voice!”
