In the town of Heusden-Zolder in the Limbourg region of Belgium yesterday, a large group of Kurds, mostly families from Rojava, were attacked by hundreds of AKP-MHP racists. Dozens of people were threatened with being burnt in a house where they took shelter. Several people were injured during the attack, one of them in serious condition.

Hundreds of Kurds and their friends from different parts of Europe gathered in front of the European Parliament in Brussels today in protest at the attack.

During the protest action in Luxembourg Square, slogans such as "Revenge", "Fascist Erdoğan", "Dictator Erdoğan" were frequently chanted. PKK, PJAK, KJAR flags as well as posters of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan were displayed, as well as a large poster of Abdullah Öcalan and a PKK flag.

A statement by the Democratic Council of Kurdistan Community in Belgium (NAV-BEL) emphasised that these attacks are not independent of the anti-Kurdish policies of the Turkish state. It was said that the families returning from the Newroz celebration were attacked with the chants of takbir and those trapped in a house were intended to be burnt.

According to the statement, 7 Kurds were wounded in the attack and no news was received from one of them. "This is not the first attack, and obviously, it will not be the last."

The statement called on the Belgian authorities to guarantee the security of the Kurds and to put pressure on the Turkish state to respect the law and equality.

Zübeyde Zümrüt, Co-chair of KCDK-E (Congress of Democratic Communities of Kurdistan in Europe), pointed out that the attack came at a time when the international campaign for the freedom of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan and a solution to the Kurdish question grew and said, "They want this campaign to remain in the shadow of fascism.”

PYD European Representative Mizgin Ehmed said: "This attack and the attacks that took place on 19 March (in Rojava) are not directed against a family, but against the cause of the Kurdish people".

Mizgin Ehmed added: "As the cause of the Kurdish people grows, as national unity grows, as our people grow stronger, our enemy goes crazy and attacks our people."

During the protest action, there were frequent tensions with the police. The police used tear gas against the protesters, while anti-riot vehicles and police were deployed to the protest area in a short time. The organisers often had to intervene to defuse the tension.