Turkey started its offensive in northern Syria this week, raising criticism internationally. In several German cities rallies of Kurds took place, which demanded an end to the military operation.
In Cologne alone, it is estimated that more than ten thousand people joined a protest march. The predominantly Kurdish demonstrators demanded the withdrawal of Turkish troops from northern Syria and condemned the actions of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The demonstrators held up numerous flags in the Kurdish national colors on their march through the district of Deutz. From the crowd was chanted again and again, Erdogan was a "terrorist". "No German weapons for Erdogans machinations," it said on banners. The demonstration has been largely trouble-free and peaceful, said a police spokesman. The police were on hand with several hundreds of people to stop possible conflicts with Erdogan supporters.
Police warns against using PKK symbols
There were also protests in Berlin and Hamburg. In Frankfurt, the police counted nearly 4,000 participants. "Stop the massacre in Rojava" and "Hands off Rojava" chanted the angry crowd. She demanded German political pressure on Erdogan. "From today, there will be no quiet minute for this federal government," said a speaker. The police warned the participants not to display symbols of the banned Kurdish Workers' Party PKK or pictures of the leader Abdullah Öcalan.
The target of the offensive started on Wednesday is the Kurdish militia YPG, which controls a large area on the Syrian side of the border. Turkey sees in it an offshoot of the banned Kurdish workers' party PKK in Turkey and thus a terrorist organization. It wants to set up a so-called security zone along the border and to settle there Syrian refugees who currently live in Turkey.
According to the government in Ankara, Turkish troops have captured the Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in London denied this. Although Turkish forces and their allies were in Ras al-Ain, the place was still fought on.
Federal Government suspends arms deliveries
The Federal Government has sharply criticized the offensive and called for an end to the operation. According to a report of "Bild am Samstag", arms deliveries to Turkey should be suspended for the time being.