THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
January 24, 2024 at 16:03 JST
Kurds dance during the Newroz festival held at Akigase park in Saitama on March 21, 2023. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
SAITAMA—The Saitama prefectural parks and greenery association has apologized for refusing to allow the Kurdish community to hold a spring festival here over concerns about trouble from protesters.
The association on Jan. 23 retracted its decision, saying it was a mistake, and apologized to organizers of the Newroz festival.
The festival is held at the prefectural Akigase Park in Saitama to celebrate the New Year and the coming of spring. The event features participants dancing to folk music.
The Japan Kurdish Cultural Association organized the festival in 2018, 2019 and 2023. A Warabi-based group called Zainichi Kurdjinto Tomoni has helped with the operation of the festival.
According to the prefectural parks and greenery association, Zainichi Kurdjinto Tomoni contacted the office on Jan. 4 to reserve space at the park for this year’s festival.
But the association director withheld permission for the festival, citing the possibility that protesters might show up and cause trouble at the park.
“The safety of park users and office staff cannot be ensured,” the director told the group.
The association also said that fires used at past Newroz festivals had violated park rules.
However, after further discussion, the association concluded that the permit for the festival could not be denied because of the possibility of sabotage.
It was also learned that festival organizers had not been told about the rules on fire use at the park.
Although the Warabi-based group received an apology, a representative said of the initial rejection, “It is problematic that (the association) made the arbitrary decision.”
In July last year, about 100 people were involved in a skirmish in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, stemming from a problem between Kurdish men of Turkish nationality, according to investigative sources.
Since then, the prefectural parks association and the prefectural government have received emails and phone calls saying “the park should not be used for a Kurdish festival.”
(This article was written by Tomonori Asada and Nobufumi Yamada.)
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