PRAGUE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd October, 2019) More than 300 people took part on Monday in a rally in central Prague to protest the Turkish military operation against the Kurdish militia in northern Syria, media reported.
The rally, which took place at the Palackeho Square, was organized by the Czech Pirate Party, according to national tv broadcasters.
"Turkey's military operation in northern Syria and the plan of [Turkish President Tayyip] Erdogan to forcibly resettle refugees to the Syrian territory are a violation of international law. The Czech parliament condemned this aggression and the government announced the suspension of arms exports to Turkey. But this is not enough to urgently settle the situation. In addition, we must not forget that the Kurds were the main Western ally in the fight against the so-called Islamic State [terrorist organization, banned in Russia]," the party's head, Ivan Bartos, said, addressing the demonstrators.
According to a representative of the Kurdish diaspora in the Czech Republic, the Turkish operation in northern Syria is an act of genocide. He also accused the United States of betraying the Kurds and the European Union of doing nothing to stop the Turkish offensive.
The Pirate Party is going to organize similar rallies across the Czech Republic in the upcoming days.
Turkey launched an offensive in northern Syria on October 9 in a bid to create a "safe zone" along the border that would be free of Kurdish militia, viewed by Ankara as terrorists. The offensive has faced widespread condemnation from across the globe. Czech President Milos Zeman said on Thursday that Turkey was committing war crimes in northern Syria and called for ending the talks on Ankara's possible accession to the European Union.
On Thursday, Erdogan and US Vice President Mike Pence reached an agreement on a 120-hour ceasefire in northern Syria to allow the withdrawal of Kurdish militia from the area. However, both Ankara and the Kurds have accused each other of violating the truce.
