The unsolved murders of three Kurdish female activists in the French capital ten years ago sparked a march through Paris on Saturday by thousands of Kurds from throughout France and Europe.
Three individuals were killed outside a Kurdish cultural center in Paris two weeks ago in what the prosecution called a racist attack, and the marches are also honoring their memory.
In buses guarded by police, Kurdish activists from Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Belgium came, joining French Kurds in a peaceful march through northeast Paris. The protest was timed to commemorate the deaths of Sakine Cansiz, Fidan Dogan, and Leyla Saylemez on January 9, 2013, which occurred ten years prior.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, also known as the PKK, was founded by Cansiz and is regarded as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union.
Kurdish activists think the executions were carried out by the Turkish intelligence service. Before the case went to trial, the alleged attacker—a citizen of Turkey—passed away while being held in French custody. At the time, Turkish officials speculated that the killings might have been a result of a conflict amongst Kurdish activists or an effort to scuttle peace negotiations.
The PKK, which is outlawed in Turkey, and photographs of the dead were displayed on banners carried by the marchers.
A 26-year-old from Amsterdam who attended the march made the accusation that Turkey was responsible for both the 2013 and 2022 assaults.
She told The Associated Press, “I want to support my battle and I want to encourage Kurdish women.”
The majority of the marchers were Kurds, although there were also some ethnic Turks and left-wing French activists in the throng.
Ibrahim Halac, a Turkish man living in Paris, stated, “Now we are here to support our Kurdish friends because I am Turkish, and it is really important because what is happening with the Kurdish people today can happen to us as well tomorrow.”
The gathering was tried to be contained by the organizers. Following repeated altercations at Kurdish rallies, particularly in response to last month’s shooting, Paris police were on high alert on Saturday.
According to authorities, the alleged attacker admitted to investigators that he had a “pathological” hatred of non-European aliens after the attack on December 23. Although Kurdish groups believe the attack was politically motivated, he was given preliminary accusations of murder that were racially motivated.
Last week, Turkey summoned France’s ambassador in protest at what it saw to be post-shooting propaganda by Kurdish activists in France.
Since 1984, the PKK has been fighting a separatist insurgency against the Turkish government. In addition to fighting PKK-affiliated Kurdish terrorists in northern Iraq and southeast Turkey, the Turkish army has recently carried out a number of airstrikes against Kurdish militant targets in northern Syria.
