Arte, a European public service channel based in France, has drawn criticism for a documentary that questioned the PKK’s status as a terror group and branded all Kurds in Europe as supporters of it.
The documentary, titled “Is the PKK a freedom fighter or a terror group?” (Die PKK in Europa – Freiheitskämpfer oder Terroristen?), includes full speeches from Zübeyir Aydar, the de jure political leader of the PKK, and Şahin Polat, co-chair of the Kurdish Democratic Council (CDK-F) in France.
It questions the PKK’s status as a banned terrorist organization in European countries, especially Germany and France, Turkish news outlet Aydınlık wrote.
The documentary is largely under fire for claiming all 1.5 million Kurds in Europe are unequivocally supportive of the terrorist group, a claim one of the featured speakers in the documentary has pushed back against.
Maide T., a Kurdish woman whose daughter was abducted by the PKK in Berlin, complained to Aydınlık about being portrayed as among “victims whose children are fighting for freedom” in the documentary.
“When they first approached me, the documentary-makers told me they could risk the disapproval of Kurds,” she told Aydınlık.
She agreed to speak to Arte because she wanted her situation to be heard.
“I told them not to exonerate the PKK while making me look like a victim, but I see now that the documentary is neutral and, in fact, supportive of the PKK, including all Kurds within the PKK as ‘Kurdistan,’ which is not true,” Maide T. said.
She condemned the PKK for “doing the most harm to Kurds” and said: “If a Kurd is facing an injustice, they must oppose it through legal means. If the PKK wanted our children’s welfare, they would give up killing them.”
She dismissed the documentary as failing to portray the real victimization of the Kurdish community in Europe, adding: “The PKK is not the Kurds’ friend and they have nothing to do with righteousness or justice.”
The PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984 to achieve a so-called Kurdish self-rule in southeastern regions and is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara, as well as the United States and the European Union.
Arte’s documentary goes into length about showing the mass protests of associations affiliated with the PKK, which it claims are “cultural centers.”
It claims that the drug trade is not one of the main sources of revenue for the PKK and the funds raised for the terrorists are labeled as “Kurdish solidarity.” It argues the PKK or its Syrian offshoot, the YPG, holds no one under the age of 18 at its camps.
The documentary also claims the PKK is no longer a threat to Europe and calls for lifting its ban. It dismisses the group’s terror attacks in Europe between 1993 and 1999 as a “thing of the past,” arguing the PKK has now turned into a structure protecting people against Daesh attacks in Syria and Iraq, backed by the U.S. and the EU.
The PKK has been infiltrating European countries by exploiting the legal gaps and vague policies to recruit militants and finance its activities, according to Turkish security sources.
PKK terrorists see Europe as a strategic front against Türkiye and utilize it as a logistical, financial and recruitment base, as European countries remain silent and even support them.
The tolerance of European countries to PKK’s activities allowed them to take daring steps and raise their voices. Belgium is the so-called headquarters of the PKK in Europe, but it also carries out propaganda activities in Finland, Sweden, France, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Türkiye has long decried tolerance for the terrorist group and its supporters in Europe.
