Left-Extremist Endeavours

KAZAN. Also in the Düsseldorf Philipshalle, the "4 th Youth and
Culture Festival"
of the IGMG was held on 16 October, which was attended by
approx. 6,000 visitors.
2. Kurds
2.1 Overview
The background of the Kurdish conflict, which has been going on
for decades, is the cultural, social, political and international-law
situation of about 25 million ethnic Kurds, the majority of whom
live in areas of Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. Their integration into
the respective society of those countries, which is considered inadequate
by the Kurds, is a breeding ground for the formation of
extremist Kurdish groups, but also arouses sympathy among
some of the non-extremist Kurds for these groups.
Of the approx. 500,000 Kurds living on the territory of the Federal
Republic - mostly Turkish nationals - only a minority of some
12,400 individuals have joined extremist Kurdish organizations
from Turkey and Iraq. Of these, the "Kurdistan Workers' Party"
(PKK) continues to be the most active organization with the highest
number of supporters and with an undiminished mobilization
capability which is of relevance to internal security. After the arrest
of its leader ÖCALAN and the passing of the death sentence
against him, the Kurdish "struggle for liberation" in Turkey might
face a reversal of policy. At its 7 th Party Convention which ended
on 23 January 2000, the PKK decided that its armed struggle was
to be replaced by a strategy of "democratic/political struggle".
Whether the new concept will be accepted by all organizational
divisions of the PKK is not yet foreseeable. So far, opposition
forces have not managed to get their way.
2.2 "Kurdistan Workers’ Party" (PKK - Partiya
Karkeren Kurdistan)
- Basic data for Germany -
Founded: 1978 (in Turkey)
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banned (in Germany): in 1993
Leadership: leading functionaries of the "European Front
Centre" (who are subordinate to the PKK
Chairman Abdullah ÖCALAN and the "Presidential
Council")