THE Peoples’ Democratic Party‘s (HDP) women’s council today announced its plans to launch activities and events to mark international working women's day in Turkey on March 8.

The pledge was made with a rallying cry for freedom in the face of fresh attacks from Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.

Actions and activities are set to start in towns and cities across the country this weekend, united under the slogan: “We women are insisting on freedom and determined to fight,” the HDP women’s council said.

It revealed a programme of events, including tributes to women that have been murdered in the last year, which saw record numbers of femicides and violent attacks.

Progressive organisations have expressed concern that the state is set to attack rallies on March 8 –  the date celebrated across the world as International Women’s Day.

One source told the Star that they expect to be “beaten a lot at best.”

She was responding after Mr Soylu issued a broadside on state television in which he spoke of a fight against “cultural terrorism,” identifying women’s organisations, environmentalists and peace groups as threats to the Turkish state.

He appeared on the state-run Anadalou Agency to say that the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is a women’s organisation.

In a bizarre segment he appeared with some felt-tip pens and a chart which he claimed showed that women appeared in 56 per cent of all PKK activities.

But he insisted this was merely an effort to appeal to the West.

Mr Soylu’s intervention came after authoritarian President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signalled a new offensive against the HDP.

Prosecutors issued warrants for the detention 15 of the party’s MPs, with official investigations into last Sunday’s national conference ongoing.

Mr Erdogan, irked by the party electing new officials, insisted that “everything they do is a crime” as he spoke to reporters on his return from Azerbaijan.

He said: “Their chairpersons keep changing non-stop. One goes and another comes.”

He hinted that fresh investigations could be opened into co-chairs Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar after an image of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan was displayed on a screen at the gathering in the capital, Ankara.

In spite of the intimidation, support appeared to be growing for a women’s strike to be held on March 8.

Members of the Socialist Women’s Councils (SKB) — part of jailed former HDP co-chair Figen Yuksekdag’s Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP) — knocked on doors today asking women to refuse to do housework and other chores that day to make domestic labour visible.

They were joined by men from the ESP who vowed to “destroy traditional roles.” 

They will operate a communal kindergarten to look after children so that women can participate in the activities.