Thousands join protests against Erdogan in Amsterdam, Den Haag
Turkey's invasion of northern Syria last week, resulted in protests against Turkey and its president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Netherlands over the weekend. A planned protest on the Malieveld in The Hague drew around 3 thousand protesters. A spontaneous protest at Amsterdam Central Station attracted around 75 demonstrators.
The Hague demonstrators marched through the city, passing the Turkish embassy, on Saturday afternoon. They carried signs aimed at Erdogan, and shouted slogans like "Erdogan terrorist, Erdogan murderer", according to Trouw.
"Today we are all standing side by side. We will not be scared. We want our own state, our own place for our language and culture. That is all we want." One Kurdish protester told the newspaper. Another protester told Trouw she came to send a clear signal that the Turks must halt their invasion. "We want him to stop killing children in Syria", she said. "The Kurdish community is very close. Here in The Hague, but I also know many people in the area that is currently being attacked. Many of my family members are underground or have been inside for days. We are very scared."
Both protests happened peacefully and without major incident.
The Turkish army invaded northeastern Syria on Wednesday, to expel the Kurdish militia YPG from the area. The Turkish government considers YPG an extension of the PKK, which Ankara considers a terrorist organization. Dozens of people have been killed in the days since and fighting broke out in a number of border cities. A majority in the Dutch parliament supports sanctions against Turkey for this invasion.
