Turkish Students Assaulted By Sympathizers Of PKK Terror Group In France To File Legal Complaint

Turkish students in France who were assaulted by sympathizers of the PKK terror group on Monday are planning to file a criminal complaint.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Burhanettin Kansizoglu, the head of Imam Hatip Youth and Sports Club, said a total of 20 university students, mostly women, were battered by the PKK sympathizers in Strasbourg.

The students left Türkiye to visit the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and European Parliament, according to Kansizoglu, who noted that a group of PKK sympathizers tried to goad the students by insulting them.

He further noted that the group had affronted Turkish national and moral values with slogans chanted in front of the students.

Some of the female students were directly assaulted, with one of them nearly strangled by their attackers, leaving serious bruises on her neck, while another was punched and suffered from a swollen head as a result, he said.

The tension quickly escalated when more PKK sympathizers joined the scene, he said, adding that the Turkish students responded in self-defense and saved the attacked female classmate.

"What deeply saddened us was the fact that the French police stood there as mere spectators instead of taking action," he said, stressing that had such an incident occurred in Türkiye, police would have intervened immediately.

One French police officer with "common sense" later intervened, Kansizoglu added.

"Administrators allowing member of this terrorist organization to be here should reconsider (their policies)," he said. "They should not hand over this beautiful environment, that is, this peaceful environment, this country, city, town to such members of terrorist organizations, because tomorrow, their children may also experience what we went through."

He went on to say that some of the PKK sympathizers filmed the students and threatened them, saying they would find them later.

Footage obtained by Anadolu Agency showed a group standing next to a booth with photos of PKK ringleaders and banners chanting slogans against Türkiye.

Notably, the footage shows that only two police officers intervened as the PKK sympathizers attacked.

The sympathizers set up the booth in 2021 in front of the European Council building in Strasbourg and are present there throughout the day.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the European Union, and the US, and is responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG -- which also has a presence in Europe, openly sanctioned by several governments -- is the terrorist PKK's Syrian branch.

Writing by Ali Murat Alhas -