(MENAFN) On Friday, the European Commission witnessed a demonstration by a group of Syrian Kurds who called the EU on taking a tougher line against Turkey, who continues its military offensive in the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northern Syria.
Ankara claims that its operation is directed against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Forces (YPG), the US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia that the Turks have labeled a terrorist organization.
Dozens of people gathered in Brussels holding banners saying "Europe, where are you values of Human Rights and Democracy?"
Ankara, since January 20th, has launched a large-scale military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in Afrin. The attack has so far resulted in scores of civilian casualties and displacement of thousands.
Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has fought a three-decade insurgency in Turkey and is deemed a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union and Turkey. The YPG has been an important ally for the United States in the fight against Islamic State.
The EU remains relatively silent about the situation in Afrin despite the humanitarian crises in Afrin and has done nothing to sanction Turkey, a formal candidate for the European membership and member of NATO, for its actions.
On Thursday, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini said that the EU "expresses deep concern" about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afrin.
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