The campaign for the removal of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) from the EU list of terrorist organisations, launched by the international initiative Justice for Kurds in November 2021, has been concluded. The results of the campaign were presented at a public press conference on Tuesday, January 31, in Schuman Square next to the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels.According to the results, three million people supported the campaign to remove the PKK from the list of banned terrorist organisations. After the press conference, the Initiative submitted three million signatures to the EU Commission.

Representatives of various organisations that have actively participated in the campaign also took part in the press conference. Belgian Peace Organization Vrede Spokesperson Ludo de Brabander, Progressive International representative Daniel Kopp and the President of the European Left, Walter Baier, made statements demanding that the EU remove the PKK from the list.

BRABANDER: IF YOU WANT PEACE, REMOVE THE PKK FROM THE LIST

The Belgian Peace Organization Vrede Spokesperson Ludo de Brabander said: “We are here because we have collected many signatures to demand the PKK to be delisted as a terrorist organization. There are many court rulings that the PKK is not a terrorist organization. It is an organization which is a party to an unarmed conflict. And now we are faced with a situation that has been used for years to criminalize the struggle for the rights of the Kurds. And this must be ended. The PKK must be removed from the list of terrorist organizations if you want peace in Turkey, if you want peace with the Kurds in the Middle East.”

KOPP: PKK PROMOTES STRUGGLE FOR EQUALITY

Progressive International representative Daniel Kopp said: “This is an international organization established to mobilize, organize and unite progressive forces around the world. Today, with my Kurdish comrades, I am calling for the removal of the PKK from the list in Europe. The PKK has been recognized by the European Union as a terrorist organization for several years in favour of the Turkish state. This is not true. The PKK is not a terrorist organization. The PKK is a political party and promotes the Kurds' struggle for peace and equality in Turkey. Therefore, we are here today to submit millions of signatures from all over the world to the European Institutions, demanding that the PKK be removed from the list for peace, prosperity and affluence in the Middle East.”

BAIER: PKK REPRESENTS THE KURDISH PEOPLE

Walter Baier, the president of the European Left, said: “I am attending this demonstration and press conference on behalf of the European Left Party. We support the Kurdish people's struggle for equality, democracy and the right to self-determination. And it is essential to delist the PKK to achieve peace in the Kurdish-Turkish conflict. Because the PKK, which is a party to the solution, represents the Kurdish people and is essential for peace. The European Left Party promotes peace and solidarity among peoples for a solution in all conflict resolutions.”