A 26-day “Long March” was launched in France on 21 January to demand the freedom of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan and a solution to the Kurdish question. The march draws public attention to Öcalan’s 26 years of captivity in the İmralı Island Prison in the Sea of Marmara in Turkey. 26 people will march through 26 different cities in France and conclude the action with a march and rally in Strasbourg on February 15, the anniversary of the international conspiracy that resulted in the capture of the Kurdish leader in Kenya and his handover to Turkey in 1999.

On the sixth day of the march, the activists were greeted by Kurds and friends in front of the Mantes-la-Jolie town hall, where a demonstration was held.

The activists distributed leaflets as they passed through the city center, informing them about the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan in İmralı, the Kurdish question and the lawlessness the Kurdish people are subjected to.

The activists were greeted by the people when they reached the Mantes-la-Jolie Democratic Kurdish Cultural Association. A statement on behalf of the activists said the following:

“Today we are here on the 6th day of our action. The support of our people gives us morale and motivation. Our action is multifaceted. We are organizing a march, public diplomacy, diplomatic meetings as well as public meetings in our associations. Today we will hold a public meeting here. Mr. Faysal Sarıyıldız has been supporting our action and walking with us for two days. We invite our people to attend our meetings with their families and children. We will discuss both our action and the international campaign “Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, a Political Solution to the Kurdish Question.”