Kurds protest Paris killings; suspect involved in a previous racist attack

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A protester walks past burning debris following clashes with police in Paris on Saturday, a day after three people were killed and others seriously injured after a gunman opened fire outside a Kurdish cultural center . Photo by Teresa Suarez/EPA-EFE

Dec. 24 (UPI) – Kurds staged anti-racism protests in Paris on Saturday following a shooting that left three dead as reports surfaced the shooter was racially motivated.

Hundreds of people gathered for around an hour at Place de la République in Paris to pay their respects to the three Kurds killed and three others injured in Friday’s shooting, social media showed.

Protesters observed a minute’s silence in memory of the victims and “all Kurds who died for freedom” in the attack, which authorities say was carried out by a 69-year-old former French railway worker.

Many of those in the crowd were waving Kurdistan Workers’ Party flags and carrying photos of three Kurdish activists killed in Paris in January 2013.

Several violence erupted in the Place de la République neighborhood on the sidelines of the event shortly after 1 p.m., according to France Télévisions, while rocks and buses were damaged in Place de la Bastille as the situation remained tense.

The suspect. who was arrested and hospitalized shortly after the incident, is accused of shooting at a group of people standing outside the Kurdish cultural center Ahmet-Kaya in the city’s 10th district.

Citing law enforcement sources, local reports said the suspect admitted to having a racial motivation in the attack.

The suspect was under judicial supervision after being released from prison earlier this month and was charged with stabbing another person in his home in 2016, France Info TV channel reported. A year ago, he was accused of assaulting a dozen migrants in Paris, allegedly slashing their tents with a sword.

“The Kurds of France have been the target of a heinous attack in the heart of Paris,” French President Emanuel Macron said in a tweet. “Thoughts of the victims, of the people struggling to survive, of their families and loved ones. Recognition of our law enforcement for their courage and composure.”

“My most sincere condolences go to the victims of the attack on the Kurdish cultural center in Paris,” added US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “My thoughts are with the members of the Kurdish community and the people of France on this sad day.

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