Does it correct to call PKK terrorists as "rebels" or "fighters ?

Question

My purpose is to condemn carefully chosen and hence intentionally misleading language about the PKK terrorist attacks against the Turkish military forces and the Turkish nation. EU Press choose deliberately to label the PPK terrorists as "rebels" or "fighters." I am sorry but who are you kidding? PKK is a terrorist organization and its members are nothing but terrorists. The PKK has blood - lots of it - in its hands - 30,000 people (including newborn babies, mothers, grandmothers, fathers, girls, boys, ...) died because of its brutal and indiscriminate death squads. Compare this death toll to ETA's death toll of less than 1000 within the same time period (or maybe more in the ETA's case in Spain).

When a single British soldier dies in Afghanistan or in Iraq where your forces are a member of an invading and not-welcomed military pact and far away from your own soil, you mourn his/her death. When bombs in London explode and kill your citizens (where a Turkish girl was also a victim -- we felt and will continue to feel your pain), your newspapers and the BBC and all other media outlets go all out with headlines like "BASTARDS" and condemn terrorism directly. Then, why is that the same comdemnation is not offered when it comes to terrorism against Turks and the Turkish soldiers who the terrorists attacked and killed within Turkey (not in Iraq or elsewhere)? The numbers are close to 30 Turkish soldiers dead in less than two weeks. This is an astounding loss of human life.

Answer 1

They where referred to as terrorists in the UK today.
the Strap line was the UK condemns PKK terrorist attacks on Turkish soldiers.
they also get referred to as Rebels, but I wouldn't concern yourself to much as no one really seems to like them.
No one in the UK is backing the PKK and calling them terrorists,freedom fighters or rebels wont change a thing.

Answer 2

That's the way that Propaganda works. They try to frame public opinion by using different buzzwords to portray the same picture from different perspectives. Bush's grandpa funded Hitler and his daddy ran the CIA. Bush knows all about how to use propaganda. The PKK has been attacking Turkish civilians in Turkey with American weapons that were funnelled to them. Even the puppet government of Iraq considers the PKK to be a terrorist organization.

Answer 3

It depends on who is calling. In any revolution - the Irish IRA, the American colonies successful revolt against Great Britain, the southern US states failed revolt against the North, the Biafra rebels, Sudanese rebels in Darfur, the Viet Cong . . . you have to pick a term.

"Terrorist", "Guerrilla", "Rebel", "Freedom fighter", "Patriot" - it depends on who is writing and who wins. If the USA had won in Viet Nam, the Viet Cong would be called a terrorist organization in the Viet Namese history books, instead of courageous freedom fighters.

Look back and see what the EU newspapers called the IRA terrorists when they were bombing things in England. If it was "rebels", the newspapers are at least consistent.

I don't know enough about the PPK to know how true your figures are; I just know about newspaper terms.

Answer 4

PKK is a communist terrorist group that is also fighting for a Kurdish homeland in South Eastern Turkey. They have used bombs in major cities that have killed innocent people. That is not a rebel or a fighter, but a terrorist. And I even have quite a bit of sympathy for the Kurdish cause, but terrorism is never acceptable for any cause.

Answer 5

Dear Mehmet,

I think the West generally does Condem the PKK, because if they did not they would not be listed as a Terrorist Organisation in the EU, The US and Australia. That means anybody supporting them in any meaning full way (i.e financial assistance etc etc) can be charged with various criminal offences in various jurisdictions. Being called a "Rebel" is not a compliment by any stretch of the imagination. "Freedom Fighter" is a different kettle of fish but I have never seen in any Newspaper article or news report them being referred to as "Freedom Fighters".

Look as far back as 1994 (and even perhaps earlier) Westerners knew what the PKK was all about I keep posting this letter because it articulately describes Turkey's situation in a nutshell it is a letter from a Former Australian Ambassador he articulates what the Australian's believed back in 1994 this letter appeared in the Australian Newspaper in response to another persons allegations against Turkey. Bare in mind this person is a Christian Anglo - Australian and was not paid by the Turkish Government and I quote;- (Concentrate on the PKK parts)

Mr. George Karagiannakis's letter (2/6/94), making all sorts of incredible allegations against Turkey in regard to its domestic and foreign policies, should not be allowed to go unanswered.

It is not possible in the space of a few lines to answer all of his allegations. However, in fairness to the truth, the following points must be made:

The 'facts beyond credible dispute' to which he alludes are in fact based largely on fictions to justify unrealistic ambitions or failures in the past to achieve totally unrealistic goals.

Whilst it is true and sad that many Armenians lost their lives in their own bid for territory, what is not recognized is that the Armenians themselves inflicted as much damage as others in the hostilities of that time, goaded on by some Western powers for their own selfish and geopolitical objectives.

The Turks had no deliberate policy of genocide at any stage, only the removal of Armenians from the front line with Russia, where they were collaborating with the Ottoman Empire's enemies and were thus a threat to its security.

The Kurdish issue is more complex. Two points are relevant:

The PKK, like IRA, is a terrorist organization, SUPPORTED MATERIALLY BY THE GREEKS AND ARMENIANS, with the stated objective of destabilizing Turkey. It has so far assassinated over 10,000 people in Turkey. It has no justifiable claim to represent the Kurdish people.

Most Kurds are integrated into Turkish society. About one-third of the Turkish Parliament is of Kurdish origin. This illustrates the absence of discrimination.


As for Cyprus, if any genocide or ethnic cleansing has taken place, this has always been carried out by the Greeks. The abortive coup of 1974, organized by EOKA and Greek colonels, aimed at elimination of the Turkish Cypriots from the Island. Turkey intervened to protect them and prevent Enosis. Since that date, the island has been peaceful and free of bloodshed.

Turkey has consistently supported a fair and reasonable settlement on Cyprus, but one that gives the Turkish Cypriots a secure future and equal political and social status with the Greek Cypriots.

The real problem between Greece and Turkey is Greece's reluctance to give up its Megali idea, that is, the recovery of the territories occupied by the Byzantine Empire, which finally fell to the Turks in 1453. All the many conflicts between Greece and Turkey over the past two centuries have been initiated by Greece. Your correspondent's reference to bloodied Turkish history is therefore clearly wrong, except in the fact that in the past three Greek-initiated conflicts, the Turks gave the Greeks a severe hiding, which partly accounts for the large fall in numbers of Greeks in present-day Turkey.

Regarding persecution. the Ottomans had one of the most tolerant policies towards non-Turks of any empire of its day. The three communities of Jews, Greeks and Armenians were virtually autonomous within the empire.

P. F. Peters

Former Australian Ambassador to Turkey
(The Australian, June 9th, 1994)

Answer 6

PKK is a world wide recognized TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.

Therefore the peoplewho fight for it are TERRORISTS and the people, organizations and countries that support the crimes and activities and supply them with ammunition, cash and publicity are TERRORISM SUPPORTERS.

This includes one sided media and the romantic communists who call them "fighters" or "rebels."

IT IS AS SIMPLE AS THIS.

Answer 7

those EU media's are dickheads especially the British media, the guardian calls them rebels would they like it if we called the IRA rebels or freedom fighters

Answer 8

I call them a stupid bunch of armed creatures. Because they are not aware that they are being used by others. They are serving the interests of international petrol and arms companies. And they believe that they will be able to establish a Kurdish State.

Answer 9

Turks have trained the Kurds to join in killing the Armenians in 1915, 1.500.000 millions innocent life's, Kurds than become master killers under the ottoman's force, they got the best Turkish training, got medals and diplomas, from the sultan, but Kurd they been disappointed by the Turks, Turks didn't honor there promises to the Kurds, The Armenian land and self governing country, now, time change, and the evil master the"Turks" has to be killed to get the land that was promised to them, it is very funny, I see that Turks don't like it what they have done to others, when it is coming there way, Kurds are rebels since they are fighting for there home land.

Answer 10

Yes. We can call them rebels and fighters, against humanity.