26 people launched a 26-day “Long March” in France on 21 January as part of the international campaign launched in October 2023, demanding “Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan and a political solution to the Kurdish question”. The march draws public attention to Öcalan’s 26 years of captivity in the İmralı Island Prison in Turkey.

The activists will conclude the action with a rally in Strasbourg on February 15, the anniversary of the international conspiracy that resulted in the capture of the Kurdish leader in Kenya and his handover to Turkey in 1999.

On the 13th day, the protesters gathered in front of Drancy Station and were welcomed by Kurdish residents of the city.

Saluting the Rojava resistance and the guerrilla actions in Kurdistan, the protesters expressed their solidarity on the streets of Drancy, calling the struggle from the Medya Defense Zones in northern Iraq to Rojava in northern Syria “a holistic struggle”.

The action continued with a press statement in front of Drancy City Hall, which said the following “Today we are on the 13th day of our action for the freedom of Leader Öcalan, and therefore for the freedom of our people and Kurdistan. We thank our people for their participation and support. We are in the 2nd stage of the ‘Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan and a Political Solution to the Kurdish Question’ campaign. Our only goal is to ensure that the campaign accomplishes a result, the physical freedom of our leader is ensured and a solution to the Kurdish question is achieved.”

The press statement ended with a call for strong participation in the Strasbourg rally on February 15.