Ankara summons French ambassador over "terrorist propaganda support"

The Foreign Ministry summoned the French envoy on December 26 to express Türkiye’s concerns about the black propaganda by the terrorist PKK group and its affiliates YPG/PYD and the support of some French politicians, diplomatic sources said.

According to sources, Ambassador Herve Magro was summoned to convey Ankara’s disturbance about the PKK/YPG terrorist propaganda launched against Türkiye following the racist attack by a French man in Paris, per Daily Sabah.

The ministry told Magro that Türkiye expects France to act with common sense in the face of the attack and not let the terrorist group push forward its agenda.

Ankara’s embassy in Paris also conveyed Türkiye’s concerns to relevant French authorities regarding the matter, sources said.

Thousands of terrorist sympathizers gathered at the central Place de la Republique on Saturday and marched to the Boulevard du Temple chanting pro-PKK slogans and carrying posters of the terrorist group's so-called leaders.

They then ripped up paving stones and threw them at police, nearby houses and shops. The attackers also turned the scene into a battlefield with fireworks and sparklers, destroying bus stops. The police intervened in the scene in a limited fashion, occasionally using tear gas against the attackers. Eleven arrests were made, according to police chief Laurent Nunez.

The protests erupted after a 69-year-old gunman on Friday opened fire at the cultural centre in the city’s bustling 10th district, home to several shops, restaurants and a large Kurdish population. The gunman killed at least three people and injured three others, local media reported.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said on December 25 that the shooter, named William M. by the local media, has "pathological" hatred for foreigners and that he "wanted to kill foreigners" after a robbery in his home in 2016.

The PKK is a designated terrorist organization in the US, Türkiye and the European Union. It has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. Though normally officially banned, the terrorist group also has a presence in numerous European countries.