The Kurdish umbrella organization KCDK-E condemned the raids and arrests of Kurdish activists in France and stated that instead of criminalizing politically active Kurds who are working for freedom and justice, the French government should investigate those responsible for the murders of the three Kurdish revolutionaries in Paris in January 2013.

"It gives pause for thought that the raids and arrests in Marseille and Paris took place after a conversation between dictator Erdogan and French President Macron in March. Obviously, the action, for which no justification was given, is an intended intimidation attempt. No one has yet been punished for the dastardly murder of the three revolutionaries in Paris, and the perpetrators have yet to be identified. The French government must immediately reconsider its position.

The French public knows that dictator Erdogan supports and promotes ISIS. With the raids, the French government supports Erdogan. The repression against Kurds creates space for Erdogan, who supports ISIS. We know that the people of France are on the side of the Kurds, who in turn are fighting ISIS. The French government must refrain from its repressive policy against the Kurds, because by doing so it supports Erdogan for its economic and political interests," the KCDK-E statement said.

The association referred to the statements of the former intelligence chief of the Turkish General Staff, Ismail Hakkı Pekin, about the murders in Paris and calls it worrying that the French judiciary has not yet brought charges against those responsible for the Turkish state: "Quite obviously, today's crackdown on Kurdish activists is a continuation of the concessions made to the Turkish state. As KCDK-E, we call on the French government to end the criminalization of Kurds. Kurdish people living in France and their friends must protest in a democratic way and urge the French government to stop its legally unjustifiable actions."

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