Vienna: Protesting PKK gets you fined, says taxi driver

By Hasan Tosun

VIENNA (AA) - A Turkish taxi driver in Austria's capital Vienna was reportedly fined 710 euros for speaking up against a group shouting slogans in favor of the terrorist organization PKK.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Bilal Adali said that on July 28, he saw a group of people cheering for the terrorist PKK.

Saying that their words made him remember a late friend, a Turkish soldier who was martyred in Hakkari of southeastern Turkey, he yelled back at them, "Terrorist scum, you are terrorists".

Adali said immediately afterwards police stopped his car and interrogated him like he "was a terror suspect".

"They opened both doors of my car and pushed me out of the car," said Adali, a taxi driver since 1988.

Adali – who was born and raised in Vienna – said an older police officer threatened him, saying he may as well "forget living in Vienna".

"Another police officer told me that 'You Erdoganists are all the same'," he added, referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The taxi driver said a letter came one week ago to his house, fining him for 710 euros for several alleged offenses.

"One reason for my fine was that I was driving too slowly," Adali said. "If you drive more than 30 kilometers per hour, eventually you get a fine."

Adali also said that the letter alleged he had said "Kurdish scumbags", but he claimed he actually had said “terrorist scumbags".

The letter also alleged Adali was blocking the road, but he objected, saying, “They had 20 police officers blocking the road."

Adali said he would challenge the fine.

The PKK – listed as a terrorist organization also by the U.S. and EU – resumed its 30-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015. Since then, more than 600 security personnel have been martyred and more than 7,000 PKK terrorists killed.

On Aug. 21, sympathizers of the terrorist PKK marched against Turkey in Vienna.

About 500 supporters gathered in front of Turkey's Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe permanent representation office, and unfurled banners against Turkey and Erdogan.

*Satuk Bugra Kutlugun contributed from Ankara.