'Freedom for Öcalan' vigil in Strasbourg in its 246th week
The Freedom for Öcalan Vigil in front of the Council of Europe building in Strasbourg, France, that began on June 25, 2012, is in its 246th week.
The vigil held for Öcalan's freedom in front of the European Council headquarters in Strasbourg, France continues in its 246th week.
A 4-person group from Sweden has taken over the vigil on Sunday from last week's group of Kurdish Women's Movement in Europe (TJK-E) members.
The Sweden group taking over this week's vigil are handing out pamphlets and booklets, and speaking to people passing by in order to inform them about Öcalan's ideas, the Kurdish question and the struggle of Kurdish women.
A statement on behalf of the group called attention to the importance of the vigil for Öcalan's freedom ongoing for 5 years, stressing that Kurds will make no concessions on the freedom of their leader.
The group also protested the European states' silence on the AKP fascism, warning that Erdoğan headed toward building his dictatorship by committing massacres.
The statement urged the institutions like the Council of Europe, Committee for the Prevention of Torture and the European Court of Human Rights to act against the isolation of Öcalan, and the massacres, mass arrests and seizure of municipalities in Northern Kurdistan.
The group furthermore called on all those siding with freedom and democracy to contribute to the 'No' campaign for the upcoming referendum against dictatorship.
The Sweden group will continue the vigil till Sunday when they will hand it over to another group for one week.
The Freedom for Öcalan Vigil is held in Robertsau district, which is home to the Council of Europe, as well as the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the European Parliament (EP), Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) and other such institutions. The vigil continues through all 7 days of the week and is the longest-running demonstration held by Kurds without a single day break in between.
The Vigil began on June 25, 2012, and has continued without a pause since then. In every week of the vigil, Öcalan’s thoughts on the struggles of women, Kurds and humanity are promoted. Protestors have reached out to millions of people so far during the vigil that also attracts the attention of tourists visiting Strasbourg.
