Kurds and Italians in Rome condemn conspiracy which led to abduction of Abdullah Öcalan

Kurds and Italians marched in Rome on Saturday to condemn the conspiracy which led to the abduction of Abdullah Öcalan on 15 February 1999. Activists also asked the removal of the PKK from the EU list of terrorist organisations and demanded the release of Abdullah Öcalan, a key figure for the solution to the Kurdish question.

The 23rd anniversary of the international conspiracy against Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan was protested by a crowded demonstration in Rome.

On 12 November 1998, Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan landed in Rome and called for a political solution to the Kurdish question. However, his request was met by a conspiracy which involved many international powers and he was eventually abducted illegally and handed over to Turkey on 15 February 1999.

The executives of the Kurdistan Information Office in Italy made a speech, thanking all the participants and saying that “together we can liberate our leader.”

Among the organisations that attended the demonstrations were the Rifondazione Comunista, Time for Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan Committee, COBAS People’s Union Confederation, CUB Union, ARCI, Democratic Lawyers Union, Antifascist Left, anarchist federations, feminist women’s movements, environmentalist youth, university students and people from many parts of Italian.

Activists came from the regions of Tuscany, Puglia, Sicilia, Molise, Campagna, Abruzzo and Lazio.

Activists demanded that Abdullah Öcalan be released and that the PKK be removed from the list of terrorist organisations.

Signatures were also collected during the march for the “delist the PKK campaign”.

The action ended with the speeches made in San Giovanni Square.

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