{"id":2208,"date":"2024-01-30T10:58:53","date_gmt":"2024-01-30T10:58:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecosocialist.scot\/?p=2208"},"modified":"2024-03-11T13:45:41","modified_gmt":"2024-03-11T13:45:41","slug":"scottish-kurds-protest-against-erdogan-invitation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecosocialist.scot\/?p=2208","title":{"rendered":"Scottish Kurds protest against Erdo\u011fan invitation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kurds in Scotland and their supporters have protested at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh against any invitation to Turkish state President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan to visit Scotland, reports Mike Picken for ecosocialist.scot.<\/em><\/p>\n

The apparent invitation arose after Scottish First Minister, and leader of the governing Scottish National Party (SNP), Humza Yousaf met briefly with the Turkish state President while they were both in Dubai in December 2023 for the COP28 summit. Kurds are angry that Erdo\u011fan is using the Gaza crisis to launch military attacks on Kurdish populations inside both the Syrian and Iraqi state and continue his persecution and murderous policies towards the 10 million Kurds inside the Turkish state.\u00a0 In the Kurdish-led liberated region of Rojava in neighbouring Syria, Erdo\u011fan has committed exactly the same sort of brutal bombing and attacks on civilian infrastructure<\/a> that he accuses Israel of in Gaza.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Damage caused by Turkish air attacks on civilian electricity infrastructure in Suwaydiyah North & East Syria. Photo: Rojava Information Center<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So when news that Yousaf had invited Erdo\u011fan to Scotland came out in the media in January 2024, Kurdish and solidarity organisations such as Scottish Solidarity with Kurdistan<\/a>, alongside trade unionists Mike Arnott of the Scottish TUC and Stephen Smellie of UNISON Scotland, moved swiftly to condemn the invitation by issuing a public letter of protest.\u00a0 The Kurdish community in Scotland organised a demonstration at the Scottish Parliament on 25 January to demand the SNP refuse to invite Erdo\u011fan and instead condemn his regime’s murderous policy against the Kurds. The protestor’s views were recorded by progressive media outlet The Skotia on Instagram (video below) and the open letter of protest received wide media coverage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

A post shared by Media for a better Scotland. (@theskotia)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n