Europe

Woman attacked by PKK in London says: 'Flag is honor!'

Terrorist PKK supporters who targeted disabled Turkish woman during Erdogan's visit to London fail to dampen her spirits

18.05.2018 - Update : 19.05.2018
Woman attacked by PKK in London says: 'Flag is honor!'

By Inci Gundag

LONDON

A disabled woman from whom terrorist organization PKK’s supporters tried to grab a Turkish flag in London during a solidarity gathering when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to the U.K. said “Flag is honor, we must own up to it.”

Fehiye Kubal, 55, who has lived in British capital for 16 years spoke to Anadolu Agency in northern London where she resides.

Kubal said she arrived in front of 10 Downing Street, where the Turkish president met British premiere Theresa May last Tuesday and was looking for a spot where Turks had gathered to show support for their visiting president.

But then a PKK supporter “tried to take the flag from my hand” while another one was targeting a young man holding a flag, Kubal said.

“The flag is our honor,” she said.

“It is my honor. I must own up to my honor. We must all own up to it.”

A video surfaced following the Turkish president’s visit, showing a man who had covered his face with a red cloth, approaching and trying to grab a Turkish flag from Kubal’s hand and another one wearing a hat who pushed the disabled woman from behind.

“The man pushed me -- a woman -- from behind, despite seeing my scooter for the disabled,” Kubal said.

“We were there for our president,” she said.

The incident came to attention on Thursday when Erdogan revealed at an iftar (fast-breaking) dinner in Turkey that he called Kubal and praised her actions against the PKK supporters.

“I called and congratulated her today. [I told her:] You are the Nene Hatun or Serife Bacı [two female heroines from Turkey’s independence war] of this century.”

Kubal said she was very happy because of the call from the president.

Turkey’s Consul General Cinar Ergin also visited Kubal on Friday.

Ergin said they visited Kubal to remind her one more time that "our state is with her".

Terrorist PKK supporters caused public disorder and attacked some people in the Turkish group who rallied for their president on Thursday.

Metropolitan Police arrested at least 3 PKK supporters, according to sources in the force.

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