Kurds marched on the headquarters of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague on 3 December, to protest against Turkey’s use of chemical weapons in northern Iraq, which has also been mentioned in the reports of various institutions.
The activists were outside the building to protest at the silence of the OPCW and other international institutions in the face of crimes committed by Turkey against the Kurds. The protesters tried to gain entry to the OPCW building, but they were prevented, and the Dutch police violently detained 55 demonstrators outside the building.
According to the statement of the TCŞ (Revolutionary Youth Movement) and TEKO-JİN (Young Fighting Women), those arrested are still in custody in various detention centres in the Netherlands.
The protest outside the OPCW and the police violence against the protesters were widely reported in the world media.
The Dutch news agency AD reported the news on its website with the headline “Kurdish protesters storm OPCW building in The Hague.”
“A demonstration was held against the Turkish army’s alleged use of chemical weapons in Kurdish villages, and activists demanded that the OPCW take action,” wrote AD.
The prominent European news source De Telegraaf went out with the headline, “Protesters storm Johan de Wittlaan building in The Hague”.
The direct action was carried out against Turkey’s use of chemical gases, the newspaper said, adding that Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the Kurdish people, had been imprisoned in Turkey for years.
The Dutch newspaper Nieuws NL also made headlines of the protests at the OPCW building: “Police arrest Kurdish demonstrators at OPCW building in The Hague”.
The arrested protesters are still in custody in the Netherlands, and TCŞ has now organised an action at the central train station in Strasbourg protesting against the continuing detentions.
The young activists carried photos of the Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. They were protesting against the aggressive attitude of the Dutch police, and Turkey’s attacks in Kurdistan, and stated they will continue their resistance.
