Germany: Thousands protest Turkish operation in Syria
Germany has the largest Kurdish diaspora in the world. Kurds and supporters there rallied against Turkey’s incursion into Syria that threatens to unleash a humanitarian disaster and squash Kurdish autonomy.
By Chase Winter | 12 October 2019
DEUTSCHE WELLE — Tens of thousands Kurdish demonstrators marched through Cologne and other German cities on Saturday against a Turkish cross-border military operation in northeastern Syria.
In Cologne, 10,000 people waving a sea of flags bearing the symbols of the Kurdish YPG militia and Rojava, or Syrian Kurdistan, demanded the end of the Turkish offensive, imposition of an international no-fly zone and a halt of weapons sales to Turkey. Joined by left-wing German groups, Kurds also protested in other cities, including Hamburg, Berlin and Munich.
“Together as one, the Kurdish people are united,” demonstrators in Cologne chanted, between shouting slogans labeling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “terrorist” and “child murderer.”
“Long live the YPG, long live the resistance of Rojava,” protesters chanted, invoking the name of the northeastern administrative area held by the Kurds, where Turkey’s incursions are taking place. […]
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