Damage supporters of terrorist PKK caused in Paris still visible

PARIS

Nearly a week later, the damage that supporters of the terrorist group PKK wreaked in Paris is still visible.

Last Friday, after a gunman opened fire in Enghien Street, killing at least three people and wounding three others, PKK supporters soon amassed in the area.

In the ensuing protests on Friday and Saturday, they perpetrated acts of violence and clashed with the police, with 31 injured, along with one protester. Police placed 11 people in custody.

Supporters of the terrorist group damaged shops, pharmacies, restaurants, and a veterinary clinic, with signs of the violence still clearly visible. Sidewalks damaged in the carnage are still waiting to be repaired.

The glass door of a local bakery is visibly broken, and another shop owner hung a sign saying, "Don’t lean on the store window, it’s broken."

The letters PKK/YPG – the name of the terror group’s Syrian branch – and the nickname of its so-called leader Apo were also scrawled in graffiti.

Shop owners and employees in the area told Anadolu Agency that repairs will cost €2,000 to €3,000 ($2,120-$3,190) on average.

Marine, who works at a travel agency, said she had never seen almost all the shops on the street suffer damage before.

Her coworker Corinne stressed how violent the damage was, and added: "Our store windows were broken for the first time in 10 years."

"This means that during the holidays, we will have to deal with insurance, the city of Paris, and repairs, besides our customers," she said.

Yael, a spa employee, witnessed first-hand the chaos of the terrorist group supporters.

"It was very violent. Our clients canceled their appointments since no one could get here without breathing tear gas. Trash containers were burned, there were loud noises,” she remembered.

“People broke lots of things. It was shocking. This was the first time in my life I’ve seen something like this. We didn’t know how it was going to end."

Alexis, a shop owner who had to fix his shop windows, said the repairs would cost him a full day of sales.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the European Union, and the US, and is responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the terrorist PKK’s Syrian branch.

Though officially recognized as terror group, last week’s violence highlighted how the PKK openly maintains a dangerous foothold in Europe.

*Writing by Nur Asena Erturk in Ankara