The British police raided the London Kurdish Community Centre (KCC) and the homes of Kurdish patriots simultaneously in the morning hours. The Co-chair of the Kurdish People's Assembly (KHM) in Britain, Türkan Budak, Kurdish People's Assembly Foreign Affairs Representative Agit Karataş, Kurdish politician and writer Ali Poyraz and young Kurdish activist Mazlum were taken into custody. A statement released by the London Anti-Terrorism Police claimed that the raids were directed against people and organisations with links to the PKK.

The attacks by the British police against Kurdish activists and organisations reached the level of torture.

The police raided the Kurdish Community Centre at around 03:00 at night, smashed all the doors with sledgehammers, forced those inside to the ground and used violence.

The police confiscated all technical and communication equipment and scattered everything in the KCC building under the pretext of ‘search’.

A Kurdish patriot named Tayfur Özer was hospitalised after fainting due to the violence he suffered at the hands of the British police during the raid. KCC activist Hakan Nemir was also subjected to police violence and suffered bruises and swelling on his feet and face.

The police forced the people in the KCC building out and detained a young Kurdish activist named Mazlum. The police blockaded the whole street and confiscated many materials found inside the building without any supervision of lawyers.

It is reported that the police used the right of ‘occupation’ at both the Kurdish Community Centre building and the houses they raided for 9 days on the grounds of presence and investigation.

The operation of the British police was not limited to this. Violence was also used during the raids on the homes of the detainees. The police handcuffed the detained Kurdish activists behind their backs and applied psychological pressure on women and children.

While the police applied psychological violence to the 15-year-old child of detained Ali Poyraz, his wife Birsen Poyraz said that the practices of the British police were no different from the fascist practices of the Turkish state.

Speaking to ANF, Birsen Poyraz said, “This is persecution against the Kurdish people. This is torture. They put psychological pressure on my children. They carried out this raid while we were all asleep. We are people who have never even hurt an ant. This operation is directed against the Kurdish people. These people are not terrorists. The British state serves a fascist state. I call on the ruling Labour Party to put an end to this immorality.”

It is reported that the house of KHM Co-Chair Türkan Budak was also stormed and her brother Hayri Budak was injured during the raid.

KCC activist Hakan Nemir stated that the police entered the building of the association by breaking the doors and said, “They started to attack us without any justification. We were injured in the process. This was torture. We are not terrorists. The terrorists are those who torture us in this way and oppress the Kurdish people who have fled fascism and taken refuge here.”

A Kurdish patriot named Tayfur Özer, who was hospitalised after being beaten, condemned the police violence and said: “We came here because of persecution and fascism, but we realised that the British police are no different from the Turkish police. They started beating us as soon as we entered. I got bruises on my eyes and face as a result of the beating. I fainted due to the violence and I was hospitalized. This is cruelty to a people. This people is an honourable people. And we will never compromise our values. Shame on them; shame on their oppression.”

Upon hearing about the raids, Kurds and their friends started to gather in front of the Kurdish Community Centre in Haringey, chanting ‘Terrorist police’, ‘Shame on you’, ‘BijÎ Serok Apo’ (Long Live Leader Öcalan).

Alevi and revolutionary organisations also joined the demonstration in front of the KCC building, chanting ‘PKK is the people, the people are here’ and ‘Down with fascism’.

Kurds also condemned the police and said, “We saved this world from barbarians like ISIS. We were good people while we were fighting and dying. We suffered 11 thousand martyrs for the honour of humanity. You, on the other hand, are raiding our institutions for the dishonourable fascist and ISIS-supporting Turkish state. You are shameless and immoral.”

Representatives of the Alevi Federation of Britain, Tohum Cultural Centre, DAY-MER, Gik-Der and many democratic mass organisations joined the protests in front of the association building. The British police also attacked the protests here. Targeting women and young people, the police used violence and detained many people. While the representatives of democratic mass organisations reacted to the harsh attitude of the police, the tension between the people and the police continues.

People living in the area of the Kurdish Community Centre building wrote ‘Free Kurdistan’ on the windows of their houses.

Internationalists also supported the protests in the Haringey area, while Kurds demanded that the police leave the building, the home of the Kurdish people, immediately.

People chanted ‘PKK is the people, the people are here’, ‘Bijî Serok Apo’, ‘Shame on you’ and blocked the street from time to time.

While police helicopters constantly hovered around the building, the British police made a statement on its official website, claiming that the Kurdish Community Centre was associated with the PKK. It grabbed attention that the police distributed flyers, asking the community what they thought.

It is stated that the police prepared for the operation days before.

Providing information about the detentions, lawyer Ali Has stated that the operation was justified on the grounds of the ‘PKK’ but the police did not provide any information at the moment. He pointed out that this operation was based on the anti-terrorism law and that the current raids on Article 41, which states that raids are carried out on the grounds of suspicion of a crime without a court order. Ali Has said that the legal process has started, and the detention period may be extended by citing the anti-terrorism law.

The Democratic Forces Union in Britain also made a statement condemning the operation against the Kurdish people and institutions and announced that a big march will be organised tomorrow evening at 17:00 in front of Turnpike Line Station.

Exactly one year ago, on 27 November 2023, the Kurdish Community Centre (KCC) in Haringey was raided by police officers from the British Home Office. Activists filed a complaint against the raid, calling it ‘unlawful’.