TURKEY’S ‘Operation Olive Branch’ against Afrin has been protested by a large crowd after the ‘British Union of Democratic Forces call by using the #stopattackingafrin hashtag conducted via social media.
With the help of several associations on January 27 with the support of the local platform in 2018, gathered in front of the BBC building in London city centre, Turkey’s President Erdogan’s operations in Afrin especially targeting and carrying attacks against the Kurdish community.
Participating associations and institutions that took part in the protest contests with their own banners and slogans with the participation of the British Democratic Forces, a large number of non-governmental organisations and politicians, including the Kurdish People’s Assembly, the British Alevi Federation, DayMer and GikDer. In addition, Europe’s largest anti-war civil society organisation, Stop The War Coalition, supported the action.
Despite the rainy weather, the crowded group followed slogans and continued to the protests and then walked to the Prime Minister’s building. The group made remarks against the AKP party and blamed Britain’s government for staying quiet on the case by protesting with slogans.
In a written message by Jeremy Corbyn, Corbyn said that the intervention of foreign powers would bring nothing more from destruction in Syria, “I send my feelings of solidarity to the Kurdish people. The biggest need in Syria right now is to stop the operation. After this stage, problems should be solved by dialogue and political methods. A new conflict will only increase death won’t make a contribution to the solution… The intervention of the Turkish state in Afrin has already caused the death of the civilians, among them, there are those who escaped from other regions of Syria and migrated to Afrin. The UK government has been ineffective in stopping foreign intervention in Syria.” Speaking in the name of the platform of solidarity with the people of the Alevi Federation of Iraq, Israfil Erbil said:
“Erdoğan, who killed the children of Kurdish, Armenian, Ezidi and Alevi oppressed people in Afrin today, and the people around Erdoğan cut the throat of the Turkish troops on July 15th when the Coop took place. Erdogan is lying to his own people, this is not a homeland defence. At the moment Erdogan, ISIS, El base, El Nusar and work with the ÖSO. Time is the time to be with the oppressed, time is time for my oppressed people to come together. ”
