Protest against the raid on the Kurdish Community Center in London

In London, a police operation took place against the Kurdish community center in Haringey on Sunday evening. The occasion was a cultural event planned to commemorate the founding of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party 45 years ago. As the evening celebrations were about to begin, more than a hundred police officers from the Counter-Terrorism Unit surrounded the building. Many members of the Kurdish community protested these measures and violent clashes broke out.

Raid on the Kurdish community center in London

When the raid became known, a larger number of people arrived in front of the building and showed their solidarity with the Kurdish Community Center. The police were not withdrawn and the event did not begin until after long arguments.

Celebrating the founding of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Haringey

The Kurdish People’s Democratic Assembly in London said on Monday morning that the police violently and aggressively disrupted a cultural celebration attended by families with children without a search warrant and without a legitimate reason. The association noted that the security operation came two days after British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps visited his Turkish counterpart Yaşar Guler in Ankara. The meeting focused on cooperation in the fields of defense and security in the Middle East and arms deals. The Kurdish People’s Democratic Rally accused British politicians of misusing anti-terrorism legislation and judicial authority to achieve their political goals.

KCDK-E condemns the criminalization of Kurds

The European Kurdish Association KCDK-E also condemned the police operation, describing it as illegal and politically motivated. The association said on Tuesday that the attack was the result of an agreement with the Turkish state: “This attack occurred just two days after the meeting between British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps and his Turkish counterpart Yaşar Guler, in which they called for improving the situation in Turkey.” and cooperation in the fields of defense and security. “The police tried to execute people who were celebrating in front of their children under the pretext of banning the PKK.”

KCDK-E noted the increasing criminalization of Kurds under the Terrorism Act 2000 in the UK, and stated: “Efforts to criminalize the legal and legitimate right of assembly and association of Kurdish people everywhere continue to increase in the UK. The UK has already played a major role in the dismemberment of Kurdistan through the Saiki-Biko Agreement, and is currently displaying a genocidal stance. We, at KCDK-E, condemn the violent attack by special police forces in London and call on the UK to abandon its policy of criminalizing the Kurdish people. The right to assemble and organize is a universal human right, and we will continue to exercise this right resolutely wherever we are without retreat.