Kurds mark the Kurdish New Year in mass celebration in Istanbul

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Hundreds of thousands of Kurds took part in a massive Newroz celebration in Istanbul on Sunday despite the cold weather and government crackdown, with the slogan “Biji Newroz” echoing in Yenikapi Square.

More than 500,000 people arrived at the square in the early hours of Sunday morning, wearing the traditional colorful Kurdish clothes.

Holding “Happy Newroz” postcards and flags of the pro-Kurdish opposition party, the people danced and celebrated the New Kurdish Year on its eve.

Newroz celebrations hold particular importance for Kurds in Turkey, who were not allowed to celebrate the occasion that signals the beginning of spring for decades and are facing increasing pressure from the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in recent years.

“This government survives with its war policies. The war against Kurds, the war against women, the war against youth, the war against laborers, and the war against nature,” co-chair of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Mithat Sancar said in a speech delivered during the celebration, adding that they are working towards "knocking down" and putting and end to these policies. 

Leading a path to peace, Sancar said the road to peace starts with “a democratic solution” to the Kurdish issue in Turkey. 

Celebratory events also took place in the Turkish capital of Ankara, Antap, Adana, Izmir, and in the Kurdish-populated areas of Van, Hakkari (Colemerg), and Batman.

With the Kurdistan flag being waved in Van, footage of people dancing and singers performing as it snowed in the city circulated on social media. 

“We will celebrate this Newroz even if it rains stones,” Mezopotamya Agency quoted an elderly in Van as saying on Sunday. 

The Newroz fire was ignited in 36 centers in Turkey, according to the agency. 

The Turkish state has at times denied the existence of Kurds, with the use of the word “Kurdistan” also often creating controversy in the country.

Last year, Turkey’s top prosecutor filed an indictment in the Constitutional Court demanding the closure of the HDP, claiming that the party members have attempted to “disrupt and eliminate” the unity of the Turkish state through their statements and activities.

The HDP has been under pressure for years, accused of being the political wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a charge the party denies. 

Turkey considers the PKK a terrorist organization, and arrests hundreds of HDP supporters, members, and officials on alleged links to the group.