Protests were staged across Europe on Saturday, which was declared by the Defend Kurdistan campaign to be a global day of action against Turkey’s latest attacks in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), and against its threats to invade further Kurdish-majority areas in northern Syria.
Thousands of people of various nations joined in the demonstrations alongside Kurdish activists in an expression of solidarity with the Kurdish struggle for freedom.
Demonstrators also protested against the alleged use of chemical weapons by Turkish forces in the KRI, where clashes have recently intensified between Turkish troops and fighters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Demonstrations were held in Germany in the cities of Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, Freiburg. Hamburg, Hannover, Leipzig and Saarbrücken.
In France, there were rallies in Bordeaux, Marseilles, Montpellier, Paris and Rennes.
Thousands gathered outside the BBC in London, as large numbers from green groups, anti-fascist groups and various other political organisations joined in in solidarity with Kurds.
There were also demonstrations in Italy, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland and Cyprus.