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Anger Turns to Protest Against Erdogan's Visit to France

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  • Anger Turns to Protest Against Erdogan's Visit to France

    Anger Turns to Protest Against Erdogan's Visit to France

    By Fiona Guitard on November 1, 2014
    Special for the Armenian Weekly


    PARIS (A.W.)-French President François Hollande received Turkish
    President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Oct. 31. Erdogan decided to fly to
    Paris after Hollande's decision to support the Kurds in the ISIS
    attack on Kobani was made clear.

    Around 40 people congregated near the exit of the "Invalides" subway
    stop at 2 p.m. Some protesters held signs, others spoke to
    journalists. Proud, angry, they all shouted slogans such as "Political
    solutions for Kurdistan," "Erdogan, murderer," and "Stop fascism in
    Turkey." The crowd grew by mid-afternoon, while voices became louder.

    Proud, angry, they all shouted slogans such as 'Political solutions
    for Kurdistan,' 'Erdogan, murderer,' and 'Stop fascism in Turkey.'
    (Photo by Fiona Guitard)

    Still, for Sergul, 48, it was disappointing that more people had not
    joined the protest. "We are not many today, but we are used to it. We
    won't give up. We are here, in Paris. But for a few of us, our
    families are in Kurdistan, and some have family members in Kobani. We
    can't believe that the French President is welcoming Erdogan. He is a
    murderer. He allows these attacks on Kobani and worse, he supports
    Daesh [ISIS]. The world can't turn a blind eye anymore to that man and
    the politics he runs," said Sergul.

    Sylvie Jan from the association France-Kurdistan just came back from
    Turkey, where she witnessed from a hill what was taking place on the
    Kobani border. "There are Turkish military tanks and Turkish
    servicemen with arms crossed. It is obvious that France and the world
    have to take a position. The refugee situation is precarious. We are
    here to tell François Hollande, 'Do not give up in front of the
    Turkish government who chose to support Daesh. You should not put the
    Kurdish people on the discussion table, and second to your economic
    policy. Do not choose money over human beings. Send a sign of dignity
    to the world,'" she said.

    'I came here today to show you the support of the Armenian community
    of France. [The Armenian community] feels strongly about the Kurdish
    struggle, and their right to exist.' (Photo by Fiona Guitard)

    For Ara Toranian, from Nouvelles d'Armenie, it is important that the
    Kurds know that they are not alone in the struggle, and that they have
    the support of the Armenian community. "I came here today to show you
    the support of the Armenian community of France. We feel strongly
    about the Kurdish struggle, and their right to exist. We want to
    express our disgust at Erdogan's visit. He is received with all the
    honors by the French government. He still has a denialist policy
    toward the Armenian Genocide. Erdogan just watches people be
    massacred. We are here to tell Hollande to be careful of the duplicity
    of the Turkish authorities, who specialize in blackmail and lies on
    the international scene," said Toranian.

    In their call to demonstrate, the Democratic Council of Kurds in
    France said it was inadmissible that France listens to "a criminal
    state that supports Daesh and that prevented--until recently--the
    transiting of humanitarian and military aid to Kobani, with the aim of
    suffocating the resistance." With this demonstration, they also hope
    that France will provide weapons and humanitarian assistance to
    Kobani.

    A scene from the protest (photo by Fiona Guitard)

    It has been more than a month that the Kurds and their allies stage
    demonstrations all around Europe to denounce the massacres in Kobani,
    to alert to the need of weapons to fight Daesh, and for medical
    support for the refugees. During their meeting, Erdogan told Hollande
    that he blames the international coalition for concentrating its
    attacks on Kobani, saying that other cities are also facing the
    Islamic State. He also said that there was almost no one left in
    Kobani except fighters, redirecting Hollande's attention to Aleppo.
    Hollande reportedly responded, "Mister Erdogan is right. There are
    other cities which are also threatened by Daesh. The most important
    city is Aleppo." Hollande also confirmed his trust in Turkey to
    Erdogan, saying, "Even if there is no population left in Kobani, it is
    very important to bring to the city the necessary reinforcements, and
    we trust Turkey to do it."

    Fiona Guitard filed this report from Paris for the Armenian Weekly.

    http://armenianweekly.com/2014/11/01/protest-erdogan-france/

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