PKK supporters hold rally near UN HQ in Geneva during Cyprus talks
Pro-PKK demonstrators hold a flag with the image of jailed PKK leader Abdullah u00d6calan in a rally in front of the U.N. headquarter building in Geneva, Switzerland on Jan. 12, 2017. (AFP Photo)


Hundreds of PKK supporters organized a rally Thursday in front of the Palace of Nations, the United Nations headquarters, in the Swiss city of Geneva.

Swiss media outlets reported on Friday that Rémy Pagani, the former mayor of Geneva, and socialist politician Carlo Sommaruga took part in the rally promoting terrorist PKK group.

According to Swiss police sources, the gathering attracted around 300 participants in front of the Palace of Nations, where the leaders and representatives of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Greek Cypriot administration, Turkey, Greece, and the United Kingdom are holding negotiations over the reunification of Cyprus under U.N.'s monitoring.

The rally was organized by the marginal, radical Trotskyist Swiss party solidaritéS. Banners, placards, and flags promoting the PKK were seen all over the rally.

The PKK is officially listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU. The terrorist group resumed a 30-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015.

Since then, over 1,100 people, including 800 security personnel, have been killed and 314 civilians have lost their lives in PKK attacks and suicide bombings in Turkey, while over 4,000 security personnel and 2,000 civilians have been injured.

Many supporters of the terrorist group, who claim persecution in Turkey, find asylum in European countries. The PKK, exploiting several nongovernmental organization fronts, is active in many European countries including Germany, Austria, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Greece.