Kurdish organisations in Paris are gearing up for a commemorative march to mark the first anniversary of the armed attack that shook the Kurdish community, the Kurdish Democratic Council in France (CDK-F) has announced.
🔶The Kurdish Democratic Council of France (CDK-F) has announced that a commemorative march will be held in Paris on Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the armed attack that shook the Kurdish community. #MirPerwer | #ParisMassacre | #TwitterKurds… pic.twitter.com/0nrsxqL1cr
— MedyaNews (@1MedyaNews) December 22, 2023
The march, scheduled for Saturday, aims to honour the lives of three Kurdish activists, Emine Kara, Mîr Perwer and Abdurrahman Kizil, who lost their lives in the attack on a Kurdish cultural centre in Paris last year.
The march is also a protest against the perceived lack of accountability, demanding justice and transparency in the face of continued impunity.
Despite the passage of a year since the devastating shootings, progress in the judicial investigation has been slow, raising concerns for the CDK-F. The organisation recognises that many avenues remain unexplored and highlights the alarming statements made by the assailant against the CDF-K and the Kurdish community.
In particular, the CDK-F expressed its dissatisfaction with the fact that the French national anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office has not yet taken up the case, despite the explicit threats made by the attacker, William Malet, against the organisation and its members. The CDK-F stressed the need for a thorough and impartial investigation into the attack.
William Malet, a 69-year-old retired train conductor, opened fire on the Ahmet Kaya Kurdish Cultural Centre in the Strasbourg Saint Denis district of Paris on 23 December. The attacker was arrested after being disarmed by customers and staff at a hairdressing salon he entered following the deadly attack at the cultural centre.
The CDK-F also expressed concern about the unexplained disappearance of a black bag Malet was carrying when he returned from Saint-Denis. This mysterious disappearance strongly suggests the possible involvement of accomplices in the tragic event.
To press for a full investigation and impartial justice, the CDK-F has announced the route of the memorial march, which will take participants from the Gare du Nord to the site of the attack. The march aims to draw attention to the need for accountability not only for Malet, but also for any possible accomplices and sponsors involved.
The attack took place just before the 10th anniversary of the Paris massacre, in which three Kurdish women politicians, Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan and Leyla Şaylemez, were murdered on 9 January 2013. The Kurdish community and its supporters will gather against the backdrop of the two unsolved cases that have haunted the community for over a decade.
