- Title: Kurds protest against Erdogan at UN's Global Forum on Refugees
- Date: 17th December 2019
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (French) LEADER OF KURDISH DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY CENTRE IN SWITZERLAND, RAMAZAN BAYTAR, SAYING: "We are at the Place des Nations (Nations square) to protest against the venue of Erdogan, the assassin, the dictator, fascist to protest against his policy of normalisation, of commoditisation of the Kurdish people's genocide. We are here to express our disagreement of the fact that he uses the refugee issue to operate on a demographic change in the Kurdish regions, at the borders of Syria and Iraq and we ask the U.N. not to be an accomplice of such a policy." VARIOUS OF TURKISH PRESIDENT TAYYIP ERDOGAN SPEAKING AT GLOBAL FORUM ON REFUGEES U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES, SWISS FOREIGN AFFAIRS FEDERAL COUNCILLOR, IGNAZIO CASSIS AND U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES FILIPPO GRANDI DURING FORUM ERDOGAN SPEAKING AT PODIUM
- Embargoed: 31st December 2019 13:23
- Keywords: Erdogan Global Forum on Refugees in Geneva Kurdish Kurds Turkey UNHCR
- Location: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- City: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- Country: Switzerland
- Reuters ID: LVA002BAD6MH3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Dozens of Kurds from the diaspora and pro-Kurdish demonstrators gathered outside the United Nations in Geneva on Tuesday (December 17) to protest against Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's participation at the Global Refugee Forum.
Around 150 protesters chanted slogans to denounce Erdogan's policies, holding signs reading "Erdogan not welcome" and "your silence makes HitlErdogan stronger."
Turkish forces launched an offensive which demonstrators said was a "genocide" into northern Syria on October 9 to drive Kurdish militia away from the border region.
The military operation was widely condemned by Turkey's NATO allies which said it had caused a fresh humanitarian crisis in Syria's eight-year conflict and could let Islamic State prisoners held by the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia escape and regroup.
(Production: Cécile Mantovani / Marina Depetris) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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