The 6th International Action continues in Hatay, Samandağ. Women from Iraq, Jordan, Algiers, Tunis, Palestine, Morocco, Kurdistan and Capire from Brazil met in Hatay, Samandağ for a 4-day program. Samandağ sits behind Keldağı, close to the Syria border, and directly across the Mediterranean from Gaza, separated by borders but united in struggle against zionist genocide in Gaza and against Syrian massacres of Alawites. 

The 4-day program consists of a panel on the first day, a demonstration on the second day, and a MENA regional meeting for the remaining two days. The panel and the demonstration are organized by the cooperation of World March of Women Turkey Coordination, Antakya Kadınlar Birlikte Güçlü, and Yurttaş Birlikteliği.

Hatay has been through an earthquake, where thousands of people lost their lives, relatives, and homes. The city still hasn’t recovered yet. Because of the inefficiency of the government, the destruction was multiplied. The 6th February earthquakes concluded as systematic victimization of citizens. The government could reach the earthquake region within almost a week, and they weren’t capable of mitigating the consequences of this disaster, nor were they prepared for this, even though it is a geographical fact that Turkey has experienced big earthquakes and will experience more. 

Panel – 12 July 

In the panel, one representative had their speech from every region on the topic of Women’s Solidarity Against Occupations and Imperialist Attacks in the Middle East: the massacres, systematic abductions, enslavement, and rapes committed against Alawite women; genocide in Palestine, the place of women in the solution process between Turkey and Kurdish Freedom Movement, with all facets of the war and violence in MENA. 

After the panel, volunteers had their speeches in an open forum. At the end of the panel and open forum, women shared their draft text against the Syrian massacre of Alewites. In this draft text, they remarked that peace is a long-quested demand of feminism, and this demand may be actualized if women are foremost establishers. The panel was a call for all women around the world to stand up for women in war zones and occupied countries whose rights have been violated, and to use international agreements that protect women for this purpose. The list of demands follows: 

• Stop the massacre and genocide against Alawites in Syria.
• Prevent the abduction and abuse of women in Syria.
• Stop the aggressive jihadist Salafi gangs who view women as spoils of war and their bodies as a territory to be conquered.
• Stop the human rights violations against the people, women, and children in Syria.
• We stand with the people’s determination to protect their land, their lives, and their material and spiritual existence.
• We will unite our struggle to establish an International Independent Monitoring Mission to investigate the massacres and systematic and widespread violence in Syria.
• We demand that imperialists withdraw from the Palestinian territories they have occupied together with their allies in the Middle East, and that conditions be created for the Palestinian people to live in safety. 
• We will step up our struggle to ensure the safety of the Alevi community, which has been condemned to poverty and death by being left unemployed, having their property seized and being prevented from producing, and to meet their basic needs and ensure that the support that the peoples of the world want to provide reaches them safely.
• Finally, we condemn and denounce all discrimination, massacres, and wars aimed at the exploitation of peoples and their lands by imperialists, including the ongoing occupations and wars in Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, and Yemen.

Mistika

After the panel, women mixed the soil that they brought from their region under olive, laurel and myrtle trees. The Myrtle tree is believed to ward off evil, protective power and purification in Hatay. This tree is planted with the aspiration of peace, resistance and purification. The laurel tree symbolises wisdom and pride, as keeping the history of this region. This tree is planted with the aspiration of not forgetting the past, and keeping the hope alive. These trees will be growing in Hatay as a symbol of peace and rebuilding life. The last tree is olive, symbolising peace, life and blessing for the land with its deep roots and strong body. This tree is planted with the intention of building peace and solidarity together.

Demonstration – 13 July 

On the evening of 13th July, there was a demonstration against the Syrian Massacre of Alawites. Women speak up and march to rise up against the war, violence, and massacre. The slogans in Turkish, Kurdish, and Arabic raised a voice to support a life built by the people of Syria, not by imperialists. At the end of the march, women hold hands for a human chain. The event will continue as a regional meeting of MENA delegates on 14 and 15th July.