The Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) issued a second statement to condemn the attack against the Kurdish Cultural Centre and two Kurdish-owned businesses in Paris.

The statement said: "We condemn this heinous attack and all forces behind this act of barbarism in the heart of Europe. 

In the last few years, the Turkish state has initiated an all-out war against the Kurdish people both inside and outside of Turkey. The attack against Kurds in Paris has once again shown that the genocidal policies of the Turkish state against the Kurdish people know no borders. At a time when the Turkish military is killing Kurds in Turkey, Syria and Iraq, it is very concerning that these attacks have spilled over into Europe once again.  

This is the second time in 10 years that Paris has become the scene of a political massacre conducted against the Kurds and Kurdish women. On 9 January 2013, three Kurdish women political activists were assassinated by Turkish intelligence forces. Unfortunately, the French government did not fulfill its responsibilities in investigating and holding accountable those responsible for the murders. The true culprits were never brought to justice as a result of the French government’s unwillingness to pursue the truth and justice." 

The Kurdistan National Congress says it does "not see this attack as an isolated individual attack. We are concerned by initial statements from French officials that categorized the attack as an individual act of racially motivated violence. The fact that all three targets were Kurdish-affiliated shows that this was an organized and  politically motivated attack against a specific community. 

How did the assailant know that there was a meeting at exactly the time of the attack? Who transported him to the scene of the attack? Could the suspect have been radicalized and recruited by Turkish operatives inside a prison? All of these lead us to believe that this was organized by the Turkish state. We urge the French government to ensure a thorough investigation into the circumstances of this incident as this is not only an assault against the Kurdish people but against all the peoples of Europe and its democracy." 

The statement continued: "When the inhumane ISIS attacked Paris and other European cities, Kurdish men and women in the YPG and YPJ led the fight and sacrificed more than 12,000 lives in the ultimate defeat of the caliphate. We call upon the peoples of Europe and the world to stand for the Kurdish people’s right to life and freedom wherever they are. 

The Kurdish people and their friends should stand united in the face of these attacks and should call upon the French government to fulfill its responsibilities. The Turkish state needs to be held accountable and must be tried for its crimes. We urge France and the European Union to convene at once to discuss Turkish operations on its soil and take a stand against these acts of terrorism."