The 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck in Pazarcık district of Maraş at around 04:20 on Monday morning, February 6, was felt in Maraş, as well as Malatya, Mardin, Bingöl, Elazığ, Siirt, Sivas, Van, Muş, Bitlis, Hakkari, Adana, Osmaniye, Batman, Urfa, Kilis, Diyarbakır, Antep, Hatay, northern Syria and Rojava provinces. The earthquake caused extensive damage and loss of life. According to the latest official statements, thousands of people lost their lives in the Turkish Kurdistan region alone, while around 6,000 people were injured. In addition to the destruction of many houses, buildings and hospitals, airports and roads have also been severely damaged, and with the addition of winter conditions, rescue efforts are becoming even more difficult. In addition, as the aftershocks continue, new earthquakes are occurring and there are still many people under the rubble. Rescue and relief teams have not yet reached many areas, and the people continue rescue efforts with their own strength. Therefore, it is a reality that the number of people killed and injured is much higher than the official figures.

However, the information provided in the media is only within the borders of Turkey. Moreover, hundreds of people have lost their lives and thousands of others have been wounded in northern Syria and the Rojava region... The fact that it is a cross-border and war zone and the difficult weather conditions make the problem in the area even bigger...

As ATİK, Yeni Kadın and YDG; first of all, while conveying our get well wishes to our people, we express our condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives, we wish a speedy recovery to our injured people and we declare that we are with them.

We know that; fascists who destroy nature with fixed rent policies that serve their own interests by increasing exploitation. R.T. Erdogan, the current representative of the Turkish state, and his cohorts, the AKP + MHP government, will again shed crocodile tears in the face of the catastrophe our people are experiencing today and will say that their pain is great.

Our people living in Kurdistan, which the Turkish fascism only thinks of during election periods, have been ignored for years with policies of annihilation and denial, and their vital resources have been deliberately destroyed by war policies. Although Turkey is an earthquake zone, instead of building earthquake-resistant buildings, those who invite disasters with the zoning policies carried out under the name of "urban transformation" aiming at the interests of those in power, with buildings built at gigantic heights, are trying to dampen the reactions of the people by shedding crocodile tears after the disasters.

But in vain... They are no longer able to hide the fact that the magnitude of the victimization in natural disasters is not natural, and that the only ones responsible are the state authorities and their interest policies.

Let's grow solidarity with the victims of the earthquake!

As the Confederation of Workers form Turkey in Europe (ATIK), New Women (Yeni Kadın), New Democratic Youth (Yeni Demokratik Gençlik), we have started a donation campaign to show solidarity with the victims of the earthquake both in Turkish Kurdistan and in Rojava and to deliver the campaign directly to the people.

We call on all our people, local and migrant democratic forces, especially all our organizations operating in European geographies, to mobilize in the face of this disaster, to join and strengthen the campaign. Let's bandage the wounds of our people affected by the earthquake together with the donations you send to the bank account number we have published below!

State Policies Kill, Not Earthquakes!

Open the Borders for Solidarity with Rojava Earthquake Victims!

ATIK

NG BANK N.V. AMSTERDAM

“Spende Erdbeben2023”

IBAN: NL08 INGB000 6068972 BIC / SWIFT: INGBNL2A

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