Pro-Kurdish demonstrations took place across several German cities on Tuesday evening amid renewed clashes in Syria between Kurdish forces and the country’s military.
The largest gathering was in Frankfurt, where police put attendance at around 5,000. In Dortmund, about 4,000 people took part. In Stuttgart, despite only 20 participants having registered, the crowd grew to around 2,000 people. The demonstration was held under the slogan “Solidarity with Rojava,” referring to northern Syria, and called for an end to violence against civilians. Fireworks were set off, prompting the deployment of several hundred police officers.
Police said several participants were already masked at the opening rally in Stuttgart around 6 p.m. Bottles and fireworks were thrown at officers, who responded by using pepper spray. The police identified 75 demonstrators who are suspected of offenses including breach of the peace, assault on police officers, and violations of explosives and assembly laws. No arrests have yet been made, but the Stuttgart State Security Service has launched an investigation.
A police spokesperson condemned the participants’ behavior, saying: “Attacking police officers and bystanders under the guise of a demonstration is incompatible with the democratic understanding of freedom of assembly.” It was only due to “fortunate circumstances” that no officers were injured, the spokesperson added.
In Hanover, police reported that at least 1,600 people took part in a demonstration that was broken up after about two hours due to what authorities described as a lack of cooperation. Participants there also threw pyrotechnics at officers and covered their faces.
An estimated 1.3 million Kurds live in Germany. While the majority come from Turkey, others are from Syria, Iraq, and Iran.
