Hundreds of people gathered outside the European Parliament in Brussels on Monday to protest a violent attack on Kurdish families in Leuven, Belgium, following Sunday’s Newroz celebrations.
The protest saw several moments of tension with the Belgian police, who responded to the demonstrations with tear gas and anti-riot vehicles. Organisers frequently intervened to calm the situation, underlining the high emotions and stakes involved in the rally.
The demonstrators, Kurds and their supporters from across Europe, gathered in Luxembourg Square carrying flags and posters of Kurdish political figures and groups, including Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), who has been held in solitary confinement on a Turkish island prison since 1999. Chants during the protest denounced Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, calling him a “fascist” and a “dictator”.
The Democratic Council of the Kurdish Community in Belgium (NAV-BEL) released a statement highlighting the connection between these attacks and the anti-Kurdish policies of the Turkish government. The statement detailed the harrowing events, including the attackers’ use of extremist ‘takbir’ chants and their attempt to set fire to a building in which several Kurdish families had taken refuge. It also reported that seven Kurds were wounded, with the whereabouts of one currently unknown.
The NAV-BEL statement stressed the need for the Belgian authorities to ensure the safety of Kurdish individuals and to put pressure on Turkey to uphold the principles of law and equality.
Key figures from Kurdish organisations also spoke out. Zübeyde Zümrüt, co-chair of the European Congress of Kurdish Democratic Societies (KCDK-E), linked the timing of the attack to the growing global campaign for Öcalan’s freedom and a political solution to the Kurdish conflict.
