Demonstrations began in Strasburg

strasbourg_demoSTRUSBURG, France, — Thousands of Kurds gathered in city of Strasbourg early morning 4 April, to support the hunger strikers in the city and to call on the European institutions to break their silence about the repression of the Kurdish people.

The rally marks the 63rd birthday of Kurdish national leader Abdullah Ocalan and the 8th anniversary of the establishment of PJAK (Kurdistan’s Free Life Party).

The demonstration is held in front of the European Council building in Strasbourg that is joined by the Kurdish people coming from France, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Austria and Switzerland.

The demonstration with the slogan “Freedom for Ocalan, status for Kurdistan” also provides solidarity with the people who have been on a hunger strike in Strasbourg since 1 March to support the hunger strikes in Turkey prisons that began on 15 February, thirteenth anniversary of Ocalan’s abduction in Kenya by Turkish special agents accompanied by CIA and Mossad. 

Among the people joining the demonstration are hunger strikers including Kongra-Gel President Remzi Kartal, KCK Executive Council member Zubeyir Aydar, PJAK Leader Haci Ahmedi, KNK Executive Board members Adem Uzun and Nizamettin Dogu and Ocalan’s lawyer Mahmut Şakar.

Around 100 Kurdish youth who on 31 March started a long march from Mannheim city of Germany are also joining the demonstration in Strasbourg. 

Demonstrators in the area which is surrounded by intense security measures call on the Secretary General of the European Council to hear and answer the demands of strikers. Demanding a fair solution to the Kurdish question within the framework of peaceful negotiations, demonstrators ask the European Council to press Turkey for bringing an end to the problem.