26 February 2019•Update: 27 February 2019
By Fatih Hafiz Mehmet
ANKARA
Turkey on Tuesday condemned how sympathizers of the PKK terrorist group are allowed to demonstrate at the seat of the Council of Europe.
PKK sympathizers’ violence on Monday in front of Council of Europe’s Agora Building in Strasbourg, France once again showed the terror group’s “real face," Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hami Aksoy said in a statement.
"We condemn the fact that such activities promoting terrorist propaganda are given permission," Aksoy said.
Aksoy said Turkey has warned its European counterparts about elements of the PKK in several European cities where they also display posters of convicted PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, including the potential for violence.
"It is also regrettable that some circles and media in Europe still portray the PKK activities as a campaign of so-called ‘Kurdish activists.’ This is a clear indication as to the new level of double standards," Aksoy added.
At least 43 supporters of the PKK terrorist group were arrested on Monday after a protest in front of the Council of Europe building turned violent.
The crowd, gathered to protest Ocalan’s prison conditions, attacked police in front of the building.
The protesters injured three police officers by throwing stones and broke windows and the door of the building, plus set fire to a trash dumpster.
Ocalan was convicted of terrorism and treason in 1999 and is currently serving a life sentence in Turkey.
The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has waged a terror campaign against Turkey for more than 30 years, resulting in the deaths of nearly 40,000 people.
