Confederation of Communities in Germany from Kurdistan (KON-MED), the largest Kurdish umbrella organisation in Germany, raised the alarm on Wednesday over increasing threats and attacks by Turkish right-wing extremists on Kurdish individuals in Europe, particularly after a major attack on participants of a Newroz festival in Belgium.
The organisation highlighted a worrying trend of organised threats and plans for attacks across social media, urging for the ‘Grey Wolves’ to be banned and for authorities to take immediate, preventative measures.
KON-MED warns that the threats are serious and could spread to Germany, where the ‘Grey Wolves’ boast over 11,000 followers, making them one of the largest nationalist-rightist movements in the country. This movement is noted for its antisemitism, racism, and hatred towards Kurdish, Yazidi, Alevi, Armenian, and other minorities. The association criticises official Turkish, certain German parties like DAVA, and Turkish organisations in Europe for downplaying these attacks and thereby emboldening the perpetrators.
Furthermore, KON-MED urges the public not to respond to provocations, to report threats, and to act in a de-escalating manner. The association calls for German society to show solidarity with those threatened and to firmly reject racism, extremism, and hate. Following the Lynch attacks in Belgium, KON-MED underscores the orchestrated nature of these provocations, likely by the Turkish intelligence, aiming to portray Kurds in Europe as violent agitators and smear Kurdish organisations.
Advocating for peaceful resistance, KON-MED stresses the importance of cautious engagement in the face of provocations, aiming to maintain democratic standards during protests.
In light of recent tensions that originated in Belgium and have since spread to Germany, the German Foreign Office has limited its response to condemning the protests in front of the Turkish Consulate General in Hannover. Dersim Dağdeviren, Co-Chair of the Kurdish Academics Network (Kurd-Akad) and a member of the EUTCC (EU Turkey Civic Commission), has called for a de-escalation of tensions and effective protection for Kurdish lives, emphasising that Kurdish lives matter too.
She highlighted the importance of engaging in dialogue with representatives of the Kurdish community to foster a peaceful resolution. Specifically, Dağdeviren pointed to KON-MED as the largest Kurdish umbrella organisation, indicating its crucial role in facilitating discussions aimed at de-escalation.
