Philosopher Berardi: Abdullah Ocalan Is A Beacon Of Hope In The Darkness Of Our Time

Support for the Peace and Democratic Society Process continues to grow among internationally renowned intellectuals, writers, and thinkers. Franco Berardi “Bifo”, one of the leading figures of the Italian left, sent a letter entitled “You Are a Beacon of Hope in the Darkness of Our Time” to Leader Ocalan through the Imrali Delegation.

Addressing Ocalan as “Dear Apo,” Berardi wrote that expectations for the future in Italy and throughout the Western world were bleak, and that the traditional strategies of the left had proved insufficient to halt the worldwide rise of hatred and aggression.

The letter reads as follows:

“Dear Apo,

I have tried many times to find the right words, but this is not easy at all. In my youth, I served short prison sentences; for this reason, I know that such messages can often sound rhetorical and hollow.

As you know very well, expectations for the future are bleak in Italy and throughout the West. The old strategies of the left are proving insufficient to stop the wave of hatred and aggression that is rising everywhere as a consequence of the defeat suffered by the working class worldwide.

Throughout your long years of imprisonment, you have had the courage to rethink the struggle strategy of the democratic Kurdish movement. Moving away from identity-based and nationalist politics marks an important turning point in the history of liberation movements.

During the years you have spent in isolation, you have succeeded in developing a strategy of struggle suited to the twenty-first century. This is why people around the world who value freedom and justice regard you as a point of reference and a guide. In the darkness of our time, your experiences remain one of the few beacons of light that allow us to look to the future with hope.”