Kurds protest in Stockholm against Turkish chemical attacks and Sweden’s deal with Erdogan

Demonstrations against Turkish war crimes in Kurdistan took place across Europe on Saturday. In Stockholm, Kurds also protested against the Swedish government's deal with the Erdogan dictatorship.

In Stockholm, Kurds protested against the Turkish army's chemical weapons attacks on the guerrillas and the attitude of the Swedish government. The demonstrators marched through the city centre to Norrmalmstorg Square carrying PKK flags and pictures of guerrilla fighters killed by poison gas, shouting slogans such as "Murderer Erdogan" and "Long live the guerrillas". Leaflets were handed out to passers-by informing them about the use of chemical weapons in Kurdistan.

Hemîd Amed of the Scandinavian Kurdish Association NCDK-S pointed out in a speech that Sweden and Finland have made the Kurds a bargaining chip with Turkey in order to push through their accession to NATO. Amed criticised this dirty deal and said it was a disgrace for Sweden and outside democratic standards.

Nadya Salih, co-chair of the NCDK-S, addressed Turkish war crimes in Kurdistan in a speech and said: "We condemn the policy of the Swedish state, which classifies a bloodthirsty dictator like Erdogan as a good person and the Kurds as terrorists. Sacrificing the Kurds for Swedish interests is wrong. No one can ignore the Kurdish revolution and the revolution of Rojava, and no one has the right to use the Kurds for a deal with a dictator."

Socialist People’s Party (Socialistisk Politik Efolket) politician Peter Widén condemned the machinations of the European states towards the PKK and stressed that the system built in Rojava is a model for the entire Middle East. He pointed out that thousands of YPG/YPJ fighters have died in Rojava in resistance against the so-called Islamic State (IS) and that the use of chemical weapons is banned. Today, the Kurds are being murdered with NATO support, Widén said.