Turkish state terrorism condemned at Féte de L'Humanite

French activists condemned the chemical attacks of the Turkish state during the event “Féte de L'Humanite”, insisting that they stand for the Kurdish people who are fighting for their freedom.

The Fête de l'Humanité is an event organized annually by the French daily newspaper L'Humanité and the Communist Party of France (PCF).

This year’s event was held in a hall in Lanester. Activists spoke out against the Turkish use of chemical weapons against the Kurdistan Freedom Guerrillas, and against the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the United Nations (UN) and NATO, which maintain their silence and inaction in the face of reports and proof brought out on the issue.

The Féte de L'Humanite Bretagne festival started on Saturday and continued until late Sunday.


Many institutions and the Kurds living in the city of Lorient set up a promotional table at the festival. Local music groups and pro-Kurdish friends showed solidarity with the Kurds.

Kurdish activists distributed leaflets to give information on Turkey’s chemical attacks. In addition, hundreds of signatures were collected as part of the campaign launched by the Justice for the Kurds Initiative to remove the PKK from the list of terrorist organizations last year.

Alexandre Rault, MJCF 56's department secretary, said, “The Turkish state's use of chemical weapons against the Kurdistan Freedom Guerrillas is a barbaric attack, and the Erdogan regime should be immediately prosecuted for its chemical attacks.” Rault noted that the silence of the relevant institutions is shameful for humanity, adding, “We, young communists, will continue to support the Kurds,” since the Kurdish women and men are defending their own lands.”

Dr. Boris Campos, secretary of the PCF in Lorient, said that the massacres and chemical attacks of the Turkish regime in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) are against humanity, reminding that Turkey, a member of the OPCW, the UN and the NATO, had agreed to ban the use of these weapons. Campos stressed that an independent committee should investigate Turkish war crimes, underlining that they stand in solidarity with the Kurdish people who are fighting for their freedom.

Alexandre Scheuer, a member of the Insoumis city council in Lanester and leader of the Lorient People's Union, said: “I offer my support to my Kurdish friends. Kurdish fighters have been exposed to chemical attacks multiple times, and we know that 17 Kurdish fighters lost their lives most recently. The Turkish government crackdowns on the HDP and Kurdish society. This repression is just unacceptable. We have seen how the Kurdish people fought ISIS supported by the Turkish regime, and now we will not remain silent when the Kurdish people fighting for their freedom are subjected to barbarian massacres. We want the Erdogan regime to come to an end.”

During the festival, many authors set up tables and promoted their books.

Kurdish writers Maha Hassan and Ismael Dupont promoted their novel "Femmes d'Alep" (Women of Aleppo).

In a speech at a conference, Maha Hassan stated that many of her family members were killed first by the regime forces and then by Jihadist groups when the war first erupted in Rojava. Hassan stated that she was trying to express the suffering of other peoples as well as the Kurds in Rojava.

The economic crisis in France was addressed and the economic policy of the French government was criticized in speeches delivered at the festival, which concluded with the performance of music bands.