2,500 Kurds go to protest in Rome

Chiasso, Switzerland - Almost 2,500 Kurds travelled across the Swiss-Italian border at the weekend on their way to Rome to protest…

Chiasso, Switzerland - Almost 2,500 Kurds travelled across the Swiss-Italian border at the weekend on their way to Rome to protest against the arrest there of a Kurdish rebel leader, police said yesterday.

A regional police spokesman said 100 cars and 30 coaches were blocked by Italian authorities for several hours overnight on Saturday.

The Head of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Mr Abdullah Ocalan, was arrested at Rome airport last week after he arrived on a flight from Moscow and handed himself over to the Italian authorities. Mr Ocalan formally requested political asylum as he did so. Turkey immediately demanded his extradition to face charges of treason.