Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the French Democratic Kurdish Council (CDK-F) staged cultural and political events whereas only 40 000 people attended the "Fête de l'Humanité" (Festival of Humanity) organised by the traditionally communist journal Humanité in France since 1930.

The Festival of Humanity was celebrated on September 10-11-12 in the Paris suburb of Dugny.

As every year, the Kurds have enthusiastically participated in this year's festival, which draws 250-300,000 people under normal conditions.

The French Democratic Kurdish Council (CDK-F) in particular marked the event through diplomatic and cultural activities.

The photography exhibition "Rojava" on display at CDK-F's booth drew a lot of interest from the thousands of people who attended the event, while artists Farqin Azad, Diyar Mahrovi, Devrim, and Deniz Yavuncu, who are part of the Kurdish cultural movement TEV-ÇAND, took the stage and made vigorous scenes.

While the information stall focused on the aggravated isolation of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan, the French books of Abdullah Öcalan and the Italian writer Zerro Kalkare drew a lot of interest.

Thousands of people were given "PKK is not a terrorist but a resister" badges as part of a campaign initiated by French activists to remove the PKK from Europe's list of terrorist organizations.

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY FOR THREE DAYS

Berivan Fırat, a CDK-F foreign relations representative, revealed that they met the French and other peoples for three days and said, "We held direct conservations with people from dozens of folks such as the French, Spanish, Greek, Lebanese, Palestinian, Tamil, and Cuban people, and organizations. For three days, we spoke directly to over a thousand people, presented our objective, and brought attention to the necessity of worldwide cooperation. We engaged in public diplomacy.”

Taking the floor on the main stage as a giant YPJ flag was unfurled in front of tens of thousands of people on Saturday, Asya Abdullah, the representative of the women's movement Kongra Star operating in Northern and Eastern Syria, drew attention to the importance of international solidarity.

Asya Abdullah said, “First and foremost, I would like to convey my gratitude to the French people for their years of support for the Northern and Eastern Syrian revolution. With our project focusing on democracy and women's liberation, we were able to create peace and stability in the region thanks to the thousands of heroic martyrs. While Turkey's attacks are intended to destroy the life and project in question, the most important thing to do is to resist and develop strategies to counteract these attacks. As a result, worldwide solidarity is more crucial than ever at this point in the resistance."

The Vice President of the French National Senate Pierre Laurent, the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) diplomatic relations representative Nilüfer Koç, HDP Amed (Diyarbakır) Deputy Hişyar Özsoy, and CDK-F foreign relations representative Berivan Fırat all attended the Fête de l'Humanité festival on Sunday. At the Village de Monde exhibit, a panel titled "Latest developments concerning the Kurdish question" was held. Hundreds of people sat in on the panel discussions with great enthusiasm.

The panel's moderator, French journalist Pierre Barbancey, offered Nilüfer Koç the right to speak first and asked her to speak about the broad geostrategic trends in Kurdistan.

Koç made a connection between the resistance in the four sections of Kurdistan, strategic balances, and the status of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan while evaluating numerous topics ranging from the NATO conference in June to the situation of Afghan women and Turkish state’s attacks.

HDP Amed deputy and international relations co-spokesperson Hişyar Özsoy assessed the HDP's status, the Kurdish people's situation, and the opposition in general, as well as the election agenda.

Berivan Fırat, a CDK-F spokesperson, called attention to the tyranny faced by Kurds in France and Europe, underlining that what is happening in both Kurdistan and Europe is part of a larger picture.

PLAQUE FROM KURDISH PEOPLE TO LAURENT

Finally, Pierre Laurent, vice-president of the French National Senate, called attention to the general pressures on Kurds, beginning with his recent visit to Hewler (Erbil). Laurent called for the formation of strong international solidarity around the Kurds.

During the panel, Nilüfer Koç presented Pierre Laurent with the prize plaque made by KCDK-E for his solidarity with the Kurdish people.

Laurent, who did not know about the prize to be granted to him, could not hold back his tears as he accepted the prize in front of hundreds of people, who applauded for several minutes.