Paris: Thousands protest against Erdoğan and Trump

Thousands of people protested in Paris against Turkish President Erdoğan and US President Trump.

Representatives from seventy countries, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, participated in the celebration to mark the end of World War I in Paris. The French government mobilized 10,000 police officers.

Thousands of people took to the streets in Paris against Erdoğan and Trump. The protest rally on the Republic Square was attended by anti-capitalist, anarchist, Kurdish, Turkish and feminist organizations as well as trade unions and political parties. The Kurds carried signs saying "Erdoğan not welcome" and slogans were called against Erdoğan and Trump. Kurdish youth took part in the campaign with PKK flags and the slogan "Freedom for Öcalan".

At the rally, Berivan Firat from the Kurdish women's movement made a speech, describing Erdoğan's visit to France as a shame for the whole of Europe: "This dictator builds his entire policy on exterminating the Kurds. He does not recognize the Armenian genocide and the genocide of Dersim and is currently waging war against the Kurds. That such a dictator comes to France is a shame for France and the whole of Europe. Long live the struggle of the resisting peoples! We will continue to resist and win!"

An anti-war collective of about fifty associations called for the protest and the entire rally was held under intense police security.

Before the rally, three members of the Femen movement overcame the security gates and took action in front of Trump's convoy. All three were arrested. The French Femen organization has this weekend launched several actions against Erdoğan, Trump and Putin under the slogan "Welcome War Criminals".