A commemoration event was held in the French capital on Thursday to remember Sakine Cansız, a co-founder of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party), Fidan Doğan, KNK (Kurdistan National Congress) Representative in Paris, and Leyla Şaylemez, a member of the Kurdish Youth Movement, who were murdered in Paris on 9 January 2013, and KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council Member Evîn Goyî, Kurdish artist Mir Perwer and activist Abdurrahman Kızıl who were murdered on 23 December 2022.

The commemoration event that started at the Ahmet Kaya Kurdish Cultural Association in Paris 10th Arrondissement was attended by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Paris 10th Arrondissement Mayor Alexandre Cordebard, Paris Municipality Councillor Hélène Bidard of the Communist Party of France, Councillor Geneviève Garrigos of the Socialist Party, lawyers from the Association for Democracy and International Law (MAF-DAD), lawyers from Italy and Galicia, representatives of the Democratic Kurdish Council of France  (CDK-F) and many people.

The commemoration was followed by a march behind the photos of the victims and a banner reading “We know who gave the order but France remains silent” in French. The march continued from the Ahmet Kaya Kurdish Cultural Centre to the Kurdistan Information Centre in Paris where Sakine, Fidan and Leyla were killed. During the course of the march, leaflets about the massacre were handed out to the people of Paris.

After the march, carnations were left and candles were lit in front of the Kurdistan Information Centre. After a minute of silence, the martyrs' lives of struggle were presented to the crowd. Former HDP MP Ayşe Acar Başaran stated that they knew who the killers were and that the second massacre took place because no light had been shed on the first. Başaran pointed out that the shooter, Ömer Güney, did not perpetrate this massacre alone, and the real killers were not revealed. She criticised France's attitude of hiding the perpetrators of the killings, which, she said, also targeted the struggle of women.

Alexandre Cordebard, Mayor of Paris 10th Arrondissement, conveyed messages of condolence and solidarity. Emphasising that leftists, communists and all communities live in peace in Paris 10th Arrondissement, Alexandre Cordebard called for those responsible for the killings to be exposed. Pointing to the ongoing attacks against Kurds in Syria, the mayor criticised France's Syria policy. “We are not supporting the Kurds, we are struggling together with the Kurds,” the mayor said and called for the struggle to be raised.

Speaking on behalf of the Municipality of Paris, Councillor Hélène Bidard of the Communist Party of France stressed that they would not leave the Kurds alone. Vowing to fight for the establishment of justice for victims of the massacres, Hélène Bidard added: “I would like to send a special message to the Kurdish women's struggle. I knew Rojbin personally. She was a freedom fighter. Kurdish women are fighting a very important and great struggle. As women, we must protect this struggle. Bidard announced that the Paris Municipality had installed a plaque in front of the building where the massacre took place, paying tribute to the victims.

Describing 9 January as a ‘black day’, Geneviève Garrigos, Paris Municipality Councilor for the Socialist Party, demanded that the murderers be revealed.

Lawyers Besra Güler and Filiz Kalaycı for the MAF-DAD spoke about the legal struggle to find the murderers.

Paula Martin Ponz and Nadine Garcia, lawyers from Italy and Galicia, conveyed their messages of solidarity and announced their support for the international legal struggle for the victims.

The commemoration event will continue at 18:00 in the evening with a reception organised by Paris 10th Arrondissement at the city hall.