°®Âþµº

Dozens of flag-waving demonstrators from a Kurdish organisation broke into the grounds of the global watchdog on Friday to protest what they alleged was the use of chemical weapons by Turkish forces.

Police said they arrested about 50 protesters who managed to get past security, including a high fence that surrounds The Hague headquarters of the , spokesperson Dick Goijert said.

A Kurdish group called DEM NED organised the protest against the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Turkish armed forces, Goijert said. He did not have further details.

The Kurdistan Workers'ÌýParty issued a statement on Thursday alleging Turkey hasÌýrepeatedly usedÌýchemical weapons in northern Iraq. Turkey denies it uses chemical weapons in its conflict with the group, which is known as the PKK and has been designated as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

Photos from the protest published by Dutch media outlet Regio 15 showed at least a dozen police vehicles lined up outside OPCW headquarters and dozens of protesters outside the building holding up banners and flags.

"The OPCW for the first time attributed blame for Syria chemical attacks, but activists are sceptical about its significance" writes Paul McLoughlin

— °®Âþµº (@The_NewArab)

The watchdog agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Organisers of the protest could not be reached.

Turkey has carried out numerous cross-border incursions into northern Iraq over the years to fight the , which maintains bases in the region.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the group began an insurgency in Turkey’s Kurdish-dominated southeast region in 1984.