French police raid Kurdish associations ahead of special TV program on Erdoğan

French police on March 23 raided Kurdish residents' houses and associations in three cities ahead of a special TV program on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. A total of 12 people have been detained in the operations, Mezopotamya news agency reported.

Duvar English

French police on March 23 raided many houses and workplaces belonging to Kurdish residents in the cities of Paris, Marseille and Draguignan.

In Marseille, the police entered the Democratic Kurdish Community Center by breaking its door, Mezopotamya news agency reported. Police forces later raided the supermarket adjacent to the center as well as some houses and detained six people in total.

Several people protested the detentions by gathering in front of the center and closing the road to traffic.

Along with detentions in other cities, the French police detained a total of 12 people.

The operations and detentions came ahead of a special program which the French public TV channel France 5 will broadcast on March 23 evening and center around Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The program will begin with a documentary titled “Erdoğan: The Sultan who defies Europe.” The documentary includes an interview with Emmanuel Macron which was recorded after the French president held a phone call with Erdoğan on March 2.

The 90-minute program will retrace Erdoğan's political career and the evolution of his relations with the European Union and France, which have become strained in recent months.