Thousands gather in Paris to bid farewell to victims

Thousand of people gathered in Paris on Tuesday to bid farewell to the victims of the 23 December attack that left three Kurds dead.

Emine Kara (Evin Goyi), an official of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), political refugee and artist Mir Perwer (Mehmet Sirin Aydin), and Abdurrahman Kizil were killed by a gunman who carried an attack on a Kurdish cultural center and nearby shops in the 10th arrondissement.

The remains of the victims were taken from the forensic institute and brought to Palace de Villiers in Villiers-le-Bel where a ceremony was held by Kurdish associations including the Kurdish Women's Movement - Europe (TJK-E) and Kurdish Democratic Societies Congress - Europe (KCDK-E).

Patric Haddad, mayor of the town of Sarcelles in the northern suburbs of Paris, addressed the crowd, saying:

"This is a city where people can discover themselves. Here, it is the solidarity between people that counts. The whole city has been traumatized by the attack, and I am one of them. Three Kurds were murdered. We are in solidarity with the victims' families and with all Kurds in Europe. We share your grief."

Remzi Kartal, former deputy at the Turkish Grand National Assembly and currently a senior official of KCK, called on the Turkish government to solve the two triple murders committed on 9 January 2013 and 23 December 2022.

"Vanguards of the Kurdish struggle for freedom were murdered in this country within the last 10 years," he said.

"Why were the woman who stood on the forefronts of the women's global struggle targeted in Paris? We promise before our martyrs that we will boost our struggle for the freedom of women and Kurdistan."

Besime Konca, representative for the Kurdish Women's Movement - Europe (TJK-E), called on French authorities to expose the perpetrators of the 23 December attack.

Funeral processions will be held for the three victims in Turkey and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), and the remains will be buried in the home towns of the victims.

A funeral procession for Emine Kara will be held in Makhmour in KRI. Mir Perwer will be buried in a cemetery in Turkey's Kurdish-majority province of Kars, amd Abdurrahman Kizil in the province of Mus.