From Belgium to Germany, tensions run high in Europe as the supporters of the terrorist group PKK target Turks and Turkish missions. After separate incidents in Belgium over the weekend and Monday, the terrorist group sympathizers attacked a Turkish diplomatic mission in Germany on Tuesday evening. The latest incident drew the ire of Türkiye where the Foreign Ministry urged action from European countries.
Late Tuesday, PKK supporters attacked the entrance of the Turkish Consulate General in Germany's Hannover. No one was killed or injured but there was damage to the building, which German security is obligated to protect as an official representation of Türkiye in the country. In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that European countries should crack down swiftly on such crimes and it expected the countries to bring the attackers to justice in Belgium and Germany.
"Following the attack, German officials were contacted and reminded that they are responsible for the security of our citizens and diplomatic missions, and that provocations against the Turkish community in Europe should not be tolerated."
The ministry stressed: "The PKK terrorist organization, now cornered, is intensifying its actions against the Turkish community in Europe. It is thanks to the common sense of our citizens that these provocations have not led to more serious incidents. We expect the countries concerned to show zero tolerance for the actions of the terrorist organization's supporters and to bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible," it added.
The attack on the consulate, which took place during a march of supporters of the terrorist PKK, followed similar actions in recent days in both Hamburg and Belgium, including attacks on local Turks.
In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
Though officially outlawed in the EU and individual member states, in practice, the terrorist PKK has been allowed to demonstrate, raise funds for its terror campaign, and threaten or attack locals in European countries. Türkiye has long decried tolerance for the terror group and its supporters in Europe.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called a teen injured in an attack by PKK terrorist sympathizers in Belgium's capital Brussels to convey his get-well-soon wishes on Tuesday. The president called 16-year-old Efe Tapmaz and asked him about the state of his health and his treatment. Erdoğan said his chief adviser Akif Çağatay Kılıç would be monitoring the process. For his part, Tapmaz thanked Erdoğan for his concern and said he was in good condition. "They are immoral, they are vile, they are despicable. The official authorities there and those in our embassy are also monitoring (the situation), as are we," Erdoğan assured Tapmaz.
A group of PKK sympathizers were seen early on Sunday carrying "flags" of the PKK terror group while returning from Nevruz celebrations. While driving through a street primarily populated by Turkish-origin residents, they shouted provocative slogans, leading to an altercation when the residents responded. When police arrived at the scene, some vehicles had been set on fire, requiring the use of water cannons to get the situation under control.
The PKK terror group operates freely in Belgium, manifested again by the latest attacks by sympathizers on Turkish-origin citizens in the Heusden-Zolder district of the Limburg province near Brussels.
According to the book, "PKK Organization in Europe," published by the Ankara-based think tank Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), the terrorist group began operations in Belgium and in other European countries in the early 1980s.
It rapidly expanded its organizational structure in Belgium in the early 1990s and turned Belgium into a major hub for its operations in Europe. As such, it founded front organizations in Belgium, including the European Kurdish Democratic Societies Congress (KON-KURD/ KCDK-E), Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) and MED TV to legitimize and promote its heinous terror campaign against Türkiye. In 2000, the Belgian Gendarmerie's Counter-Terror Department regarded the PKK as one of the major terrorist organizations that present a danger to the country.
When the PKK was listed as a terror group by the EU in 2002, Belgium swiftly followed course. But in practice, many competent Belgian authorities have overlooked or adopted ineffective measures in dealing with the terror group and its affiliated organizations. By and large, the PKK is not only a terrorist group that freely operates in the political, social and economic spheres in Brussels, but it also acts like it enjoys judicial exemption. Belgium refrains from pursuing a resolute policy toward the PKK terror group, unlike other terror organizations such as Daesh.