Public protests continue in Swiss cities against Turkey
The Swiss city of Lucerne on Saturday also saw protests against the Turkish offensive against Kurdish-held regions in northern Syria.
Keystone/Alexandra Wey
Several thousand people have again marched in Swiss cities to protest against Turkey’s military offensive against Kurdish regions in Syria.
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swissinfo.ch with Keystone-SDA/ug
The demonstrators in the cities of Geneva, Bern and Lucerne called for an immediate end to the violence and oppression by the Turkish regime against the Kurds. They also urged Switzerland to stop weapons exports to Turkey and to impose financial sanctions.
The protests were organised by the Kurdish community supported by left-wing Swiss political parties, trade unions as well as the pacifist Switzerland Without an Army group.
On Friday, demonstrations also took place in the Swiss cities of Zurich and Basel against the Turkish offensive in Syria.
Condemnation
The military conflict in the border region between Syria and Turkey has also raised concern in western Europe that militant Islamic groups could regain strength.
However, Switzerland stopped short of imposing economic sanctions against Turkey.
For its part, the Swiss parliament on Friday decided to suspend preparations to introduce a regular exchange of tax data with Ankara.
A Senate committee argued Turkey’s military offensive was a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
Estimations about the number of Kurdish immigrants in Switzerland vary widely between 15,000 and 60,000.
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Swiss government calls on Turkey to cease fire in Syria
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The Swiss government has called for Turkey to implement an immediate ceasefire in Syria. It is also taking steps to facilitate humanitarian aid.
Thousands in Zurich protest Turkey’s Syria offensive
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Several thousand Kurds and sympathisers demonstrated on Saturday afternoon in Zurich against the Turkish offensive in northern Syria.
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