GFTU BGCM Minutes 2017

your support and we need it now and we are trying to create more awareness

during some of the campaign as the GFTU has been doing by taking a very

active part and sponsoring the Kurdish Festival. I think it is really important. I

really want to thank Doug for taking the initiative to organise something like that

and we will do everything in our power to help and to make it as successful as

possible. Thank you very much. (Applause)

THE GENERAL SECRETARY: Thanks. At the last TUC, GMB, National Union of

Teachers and Unite took the initiative to form a trade union support campaign

for Kurdistan. That is up and running. It produces a really good newsletter,

always looking for affiliations, always looking to get speakers around and many of those colleagues will be at our event on July 30 th . Abdullah Öcalan who is

the leader of the Kurdish people, for those who do not know, was arrested 18

years ago and thrown into solitary confinement and because of the power of his

ideas he is guarded by 1,000 armed guards on an island in Turkey. From his

solitary confinement he has written some of the most amazing books about

democracy and civilisation that I have ever read. We have got some here for

those who like reading. Take those away and maybe give a donation to the

Kurdistan Solidarity Campaign. It proves the power of ideas, even from

someone in solitary confinement. It is powerful, powerful stuff. It is not just

speaking about Kurdistan, it is speaking about the need for revived democratic

struggle throughout the world. So have a look at Öcalan and support that

campaign.

But the very, very easy thing for us to do is turn out in massive numbers at our festival in Quorn on July 30 th – arts exhibitions, international superstar bands

from Kurdistan coming across, great speakers from Kurdistan coming across

directly to be with us, great food etc. etc. Make that a really big day. Kurdish

television will be coming to that event, because we want to broadcast it to the

Kurdish people so that they know they have not been forgotten. (Applause)

THE PRESIDENT: What I would like to suggest we do now is have a tea break and

after the tea break I am going to propose that we bring a small number of the

items on the schedule for tomorrow forward to today, because I would imagine

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