The concern over Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan after the coup attempt on July 15 spilled over to Europe. Kurds gathered in different cities across Europe to demand Öcalan’s access to his family and lawyers.

COLOGNE

People of Kurdistan and their allies from Düsseldorf and Bonn, led by TEV-ÇAND, gathered in Köln’s Bahnhofsvorplatz at 14:00 in order to demand the end of the isolation of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan. Protestors carried posters of Öcalan and chanted the slogans of ‘Long live leader Apo,’ ‘No life with the leader,’ ‘Child murderer Erdoğan’ and ‘Terrorist Erdoğan.’

NAV-DEM state co-president Halit Taşkıran began his speech by condemning the armed attack in Munich, and expressed his concern over the prevention of Öcalan’s access to his family and lawyers after the coup attempt in Turkey. Taşkıran described Öcalan’s condition and health as the red line of Kurdish people, and said that people would be on the streets until the public is informed about Öcalan’s conditions.

The protested ended with the signing of the letters to be sent to the CPT and the anthems sang by TEV-ÇAND members.

DORTMUND

More than a thousand people gathered in front of the train station in Dortmund in order to protest the isolation of Öcalan. HDP parliamentarian Faysal Sarıyıldız spoke during the demonstration and said that the freedom of Kurdish People’s Leader was near and Kurds would liberate the Middle East with their struggle. The protest ended with slogans such as ‘Long live leader Apo.’

NÜRNBERG

Kurdish people and their allies in Nürnberg gathered in front of the Confederation of German Trade Unions building for Öcalan. The demo began with a march well attended by Germans, and participants changed pro-Öcalan slogans and distributed pamphlets. The AKP’s coup in Turkey and the isolation of Öcalan were emphasized during the speeches made at the end of the protest.

PEINE

Democratic Kurdish Society Center (DKSC) organized a protest in the city of Peine, and DKSC co-presidents Hekima Yusuf and Mehmet Karakaş spoke during the two hour-long demonstration. The co-presidents stated that Kurds were concerned over the lack of communication with Öcalan, and demanded the end of the isolation of Öcalan. The protest ended with slogans such as ‘Martyrs Don’t Die,’ ‘Long Live Leader Apo,’ ‘No Life Without the Leader’ and ‘Down with the military coup and the AKP dictatorship.’

HANNOVER

Supported by the Êzîdî Artists’ Platform, the Culture Commission of the Democratic Kurdish Society Center in Hannover held a demonstration for Öcalan. Musical performances and slogans initiated the protest of Öcalan’s isolation at 16:00 in Hannover center, and many pamphlets were distributed until 18:00.

BASEL

TAV-ÇAND and the Basel Ronahi Women’s Assembly organized a protest in Basel, Switzerland, for the freedom of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan. Protestors carried out PKK and YPG flags, and emphasized that the isolation of Öcalan aimed to destroy Kurdish people and should be ended immediately.

WINTERTHUR

The Winterthur Arjin Garzan Women’s Commune sent letters to Öcalan as part of the ‘Thousands of letters to the Leadership’ campaign. Women symbolically sent the letters written by the participants of the protest and emphasized that similar demonstrations against the fascist pressures on İmralı island in Turkey until the physical freedom of Öcalan is ensured.

Switzerland Kurdish Women’s Movement also announced that continuous demonstrations would be organized until Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan meets with his family and lawyers.

STOCKHOLM

People of Kurdistan in Stockholm concerned over the conditions of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan after the coup attempt on July 15 organized a protest and demanded the end of the isolation of Öcalan. Stockholm Democratic Kurdish Society Center, PYD, and Mesopotamia Freedom Party supported the protest held by Amara Kurdish Women’s Assembly.

Representatives of Stockholm Democratic Kurdish Society Center, PYD, Mesopotamia Freedom Party and Amara Kurdish Women’s Assembly spoke during the demonstration in Medborgarplatsen square, and demanded the end of Öcalan’s isolation in order to ease Kurdish people’s concerns over Öcalan’s conditions. Speakers noted that the coup mechanism would always kick in unless the Kurdish issue is solved, and emphasized that Erdoğan created the conditions for the coup attempt when he disrespected the results of the June 7 elections and declared war against Kurdish people.

The speakers underlined that the coup plotters that bombed the parliament and other institutions created the concerns over Öcalan’s safety, and described the continuation of Öcalan’s isolation as insulting Kurdish people and their political will. The protest ended with slogans such as ‘Freedom to Öcalan, Status to Kurdistan,’ ‘Turkish army, get out of Kurdistan,’ and ‘Long live leader Apo.’

PARIS

People of Kurdistan led by the CDK-F in Paris gathered to protest the isolation of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan. Representatives of the Kurdish Women’s Movement in Europe, Civanen Azad, FEDA, TEV-ÇAND, CİK and MLKP participated in the protest that began in Bastille Square at 16:00.

KCDK-E council member Murat Ceylan gave the opening remark and described Öcalan as the red line of Kurdish people. Ceylan noted that Kurdish people would not accept the AKP’s use of Öcalan’s health as a blackmailing tool, and described Öcalan’s philosophy embodied by the Rojava revolution as the only guarantee of people’s peaceful coexistance in the Middle East.

CDK-F co-president Vedat Bingöl said that they would continue to organize protests across France until the isolation of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan is ended, and called upon the people of Kurdistan living in France to participate in these protests.

LORIENT

Kurdish people and their allies gathered in the Place Aristide Briand square of Lorient in order express their concern over Öcalan’s condition and demand an end to Öcalan’s isolation. Protestors also signed letters that would be sent to the CPT.

STRASBOURG

Led by the Democratic Kurdish Society Center, more than 200 Kurds from Alsace and Lorraine regions gathered in Place Kleber, Strasbourg to protest the isolation of Öcalan and demand democracy in order to prevent coup attempts. Protestors carried the banners of KCD-E and Kurdish People’s Leader Öcalan, and emphasized the importance of Öcalan’s freedom for the solution of the Kurdish issue.

Speakers of the protest stated that the coup attempt makes the democratic solution of Turkey’s problems even more necessary, and recalled the Turkish state’s support to terrorist gangs such as ISIS and Al Nusra. Protestors also criticized the silence of France and other European countries on these issues.

MILAN

Protestors gathered at the Merkantini Square in Milano, Italy, to protest the isolation of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan. Hundreds of pamphlets were distributed and speeches were made during protest, where civil society representatives raised their concerns over the isolation of Öcalan.

Prof. Paolo Branco from the Catholic University spoke during protest and demanded Öcalan’s freedom and the end of his isolation. Branco underlined the importance of Öcalan’s role in the freedoms of the people in the Middle East, and ARCI union representative Luciani Muhlbauer Rifondazione Party representative Luca Karpelloni read out their solidarity messages during the demonstration.