Demonstration against Erdogan invading Syria, The Hague

Translated from Dutch NOS TV today:

Kurdish Dutch people gather in The Hague to demonstrate against the Turkish attack in Northeast Syria. …

The demonstration starts in front of The Hague Central Station, after which the demonstrators will march to the Malieveld.

The campaigners have Kurdish flags with them. Some also carry flags of the Kurdish armed groups YPG and PKK. The latter organization is seen by … [many NATO] countries, including the Netherlands, as a terror group because of attacks in the struggle against the Turkish authorities.

It is not illegal to carry a PKK flag in the Netherlands. The public prosecuting service says it is “a difficult matter”. “The pursuit of a Kurdish state is not illegal. Their ultimate goal is not a state in which committing violence is part of the state’s ideas. That is why we believe that showing the flag is not automatically punishable”.

Offensive in Syria

Turkey launched an offensive on Wednesday in Northeast Syria, an area where many Syrian Kurds live. By Turkish bombing, both civilian casualties and fighters of the YPG militia died. Turkey regards the YPG as a terrorist organization because of their ties with the PKK.

The YPG … fought against the Islamic State [ISIS] in Syria. The Kurds feel betrayed by the US Americans since President Trump announced the withdrawal of US soldiers from northeastern Syria. In doing so, the US paved the way for Turkish President Erdogan to invade the Kurdish region.