Around 40 Kurdish people and their friends came together in Cardiff today for a vigil in honor of three Kurds murdered in Paris on the 23rd of December. Their names were Emine Kara, Abdurrahman Kizil and Mir Perwer. This murder occurred very close to the 10 year anniversary of another triple murder of prominent Kurdish activists in Paris.
After the vigil which took place in Cardiff city center, the protestors marched to the statue of Lloyd George outside the museum. Lloyd George, the Welsh prime minister of Britain was responsible for the partition of Kurdistan 100 years ago. The partition of Kurdistan, meant that in Syria, Turkey, Iraq and Iran Kurds are being massacred to this day.
Jill Davies from Kurdish Solidarity Cymru said:
“Kurds are being forcibly assimilated, murdered and tortured, this is happening not only in the middle east but also in Europe. This triple murder is not the first time for this to happen. France failed to protect its Kurdish born citizens that came to France to flee violence.
Wales is not innocent either, a Welsh prime minister was behind the partition of Kurdistan, and to this day we have statues of him in Cardiff and Caernarfon. There is even a Lloyd George museum that fails to mention his role in the partition that had lead to war that lasts to this day.
There are 40 million Kurdish people worldwide, they are the largest nation without a state in terms of population. ”
Baris Rubar, a member of the Kurdish community in Wales said:
“We flee from our countries so that we can live in safety, only to have the violence follow us here. The European governments have a responsibility to protect its citizens. This is the second triple murder in 10 years in Paris of Kurdish activists. We believe there is something sinister going on and that the Turkish state should be investigated for these assassinations.”
Kurdish Solidarity Cymru
Notes:
- More information about the Paris triple murder https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2023/01/03/thousands-took-to-the-streets-of-paris-for-the-funeral-of-three-kurds-murdered-by-a-racist-gunman/
- Kurdish Solidarity Cymru is a campaign group supporting the rights of Kurdish people.