The British train drivers’ union ASLEF called for the freedom of the Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan at its annual conference in Bournemouth on Wednesday.
Öcalan has been imprisoned since 1999, an ASLEF representative said, addressing the delegates.
“A significant chunk of those two decades has been spent in solitary confinement,” the representative continued. “Very, very clear parallels to the great Nelson Mandela.” they said.
The union is a long-time supporter of the Freedom for Öcalan campaign, led by British trade unions that represent some six million workers.
Delegates in the annual conference held up photos of Öcalan in a show of solidarity.