Pro-Kurdish protest briefly suspends EU Parliament plenary

A small protest by pro-Kurdish activists briefly forced the suspension of a plenary session of the European Union’s parliament on Wednesday.

The protesters were in the visitors area of the parliament when they unfurled flags supporting jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan and started shouting as the legislators were holding a debate on climate and environmental issues.

Parliamentary leaders asked for the protesters to leave but when they would not, the session was suspended. Security personnel were seen tugging at flags during a brief tussle. No one was injured.

The parliamentary session was set to resume Wednesday afternoon.

Ocalan, who founded the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in 1978, was convicted of treason in Turkey and has been in prison since 1999.