French police raided the Democratic Kurdish Community Center and private residences in Draguignan yesterday morning. Those detained include Osman Sönmez, co-chair of the Democratic Kurdish Community Center, Kurdish Community Center People’s Assembly employees Şahin Al Ördek, Erdal Çelik, Şenol Karadağ, and Rıdvan Al Gemi.
In a written statement on Wednesday, the Congress of Democratic Kurdish Communities in Europe (KCDK-E) stated that these raids directly targeted the Kurdish people and institutions, adding, “Such practices are incompatible with democratic values and raise serious concerns in terms of contemporary legal principles.”
The KCDK-E noted that three people were detained and three others were summoned for questioning during the raids, saying: “There is no understandable or acceptable justification for such approaches aimed at criminalizing the Kurdish people and their institutions. These methods, which are occasionally brought to the fore in various European countries, particularly France, are closely monitored by the Kurdish community.”
The statement emphasized that the struggle for peace and a democratic society, carried out in line with Abdullah Öcalan’s calls, has gained broad social support, saying, “The police interventions carried out during this process are alarming for Kurdish citizens who are exercising their democratic rights.”
The KCDK-E called on French police and relevant authorities to immediately cease anti-democratic practices and develop a dialogue-based approach with the Kurdish people, stating, “The democratic rights and struggle of the Kurdish people cannot be obstructed; no intervention will deter our people from their legitimate demands.”
The statement noted that Kurds living in Draguignan responded to the KCDK-E’s call by defending their institutions against the raids and expressing their democratic reactions. This participation, it said, was a concrete demonstration of the Kurdish people’s determination to defend their rights and freedoms.
The KCDK-E called on “all European states, particularly France, to abandon their stance targeting the Kurdish people and institutions; to support our people’s democratic efforts and to create an environment of trust.”