Supporters of the terrorist group PKK sought to incite the Turkish community in Belgium's Limburg on Sunday.
Local police used water cannons to control an altercation initiated by sympathizers of the group responsible for thousands of deaths in Türkiye. The group shouted provocative slogans as they were passing through an area heavily populated by Turkish-origin citizens in Heusden-Zolder district of Limburg, near the capital Brussels. The group was returning from Nevruz celebrations and were carrying "flags" of the PKK. Angered by slogans, Turks confronted the convoy.
Police teams arrived at the scene, where some vehicles had been set on fire, forcing them to use water cannons to control the situation.
Deputy Mayor Yasin Gül of Heusden-Zolder told Anadolu Agency (AA) that PKK sympathizers assaulted a Turkish-origin citizen while chanting provocative slogans. "We've been living here as Western European Turks for 60 years. We have never had such an incident in our municipality before," Gül said. He said nearly one-fourth of the municipality's population are of Turkish descent. Local authorities had already taken precautions in response to reports that PKK sympathizers from neighboring cities and countries were attending the Nevruz event, he added.
In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, Britain and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG/PYD is the PKK's Syrian offshoot. However, some EU countries have ignored the presence of the group in their countries, allowing its followers to hold mass rallies in their cities. The PKK has also used the EU to bolster its financial resources and terrorist recruitment and as a safe haven for its leadership.
Last July, Zübeyir Aydar and Adem Uzun, two senior figures of the PKK, appeared at a rally of supporters of the terrorist group in Brussels. Two men wanted by Türkiye joined the rally outside the building of the European Parliament, calling for the release of Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the group. Demonstrators carried photos of Öcalan and banners reading "freedom" for the top terrorist who is incarcerated on an island in Türkiye's Marmara Sea. The rally was also attended by representatives of several municipalities across Europe and members of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Türkiye earlier issued an international arrest warrant for Aydar and Uzun. Both men have resided in Belgium for years but rarely appear in such public events. They were arrested in Belgium in 2010 on charges of financing the PKK but released on lack of evidence. They are also wanted by the U.S. on charges of drug trafficking.
