Protests against MP arrests held in Europe, Turkish missions attacked

ISTANBUL

A number of protests were held in major European cities over the weekend following the arrest of nine deputies of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) over terror charges on Nov. 4, while some Turkish diplomatic missions faced attacks. 

A group of unidentified people on early Nov. 6 carried out a Molotov attack on the Turkish Consulate building in the French city of Nantes, hitting a side wall of the building. No casualties were reported in the attack, whose perpetrators remained on the run. Police initiated a probe against the attack. 

A similar incident occurred on early Nov. 7 when a group of protestors arrived at the Turkish Embassy in Paris carrying stones and fireworks in an attempt to target the building. The crowd was dispersed by police who arrived at the scene, preventing further physical acts.  

Other cities in France such as Marseille, Rennes, Reims, Montpellier and Lyon also became scenes for demonstrators protesting the arrest of the HDP deputies. 

In Germany, a protest was held in Hannover on Nov. 4 outside the Turkish Consulate building, which has been guarded 24 hours a day by police for the past couple of years. The crowd chanted against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and dispersed after an hour. 

Early on Nov. 5, in the same area, unidentified group of people set a Turkish Consulate official’s car on fire. Hannover police later launched an investigation into the attack.  

Demonstrations in support of the HDP were also held in Zürich and Stockholm with the participation of thousands. 

Nine HDP deputies from the eastern and southeastern provinces were arrested upon the orders of the chief public prosecutors’ offices in Diyarbakır, Şırnak, Hakkari, Van and Bingöl, which acted after the MPs refused to testify to officials over their summary of proceedings on terror charges.