European Left – Campaign for Kobanê and the PKK

November 02, 2014
5612EB.-Atenas.KurdosThe Party of the European Left (EL) has decided at a meeting of its Presidential Council in Athens to launch a campaign to provide economic and political support for Kobanê and for the removal of the PKK from the EU’s list of “terrorist organisations”.
The EL’s Presidential Council is meeting in Athens. At yesterday’s session the subjects of Kobanê and the PKK were discussed.
The Party of the European Left is an association of socialist, communist, red-green and left democrat parties from different EU countries and associate members.
The President of the EL and also the leader of the French Communist Party is Pierre Laurent, who gave solidarity messages with Kobanê at the meeting.
Laurent visited the Kobanê border area with a delegation between 27 and 29 October, and also went to Suruç and Amed. Representatives of left parties from Germany, Denmark, Greece and Italy also joined the delegation.
Members of the delegation shared their impressions at the meeting in Athens. The President of the Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP) was also at the meeting.
Three decisions were taken at the meeting regarding the Kurds.
The second decision was to convey this aid through the DBP municipalities.
EL President Pierre Laurent said that assistance provided through other channels had not got through. Laurent added that of more than 100,000 refugees forced to leave Kobanê, only 6 or 7 thousand were receiving assistance from the government, while responsibility for the others was with the municipalities. Laurent said that the municipalities did not have sufficient resources to deal with such numbers.
Laurent and other members of the delegation said that the struggle being waged in Kobanê was also one for humanity.
5628EB.-Atenas.KurdosA third decision taken by the Presidential Council concerned the PKK. HDP European Representative Eyyüp Doru said EL members would run a campaign to have the PKK removed from the EU list of  “terrorist organisations”.
The decisions of the Presidential Council were announced at the march yesterday for World Kobanê Day in Athens.