More than 20,000 people took to the streets in Germany on Saturday in solidarity with the Kurds in Syria.
According to police reports, 4,300 people participated in Berlin, 4,500 in Frankfurt and 6,000 in the south-western city of Mannheim. Protests also took place in Cologne, Munich, Bremen and other cities.
Organizers in Munich called on the federal government to prioritize the protection of civilians and the provision of humanitarian aid.
The reason for the protests is the current situation of the Kurds in Syria and the fear of further escalation.
Government troops and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are engaged in battles for power, influence and territorial control in northern and eastern Syria.
Despite a ceasefire, the Kurds accuse government troops and their allies of attacks on civilians in the Kurdish-administered Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, also known as Rojava.
In recent days, there have been repeated pro-Kurdish protests in German cities. In some cases, there were also violent clashes with the police.
People march through the city center during a demonstration under the slogan “Against oppression, intimidation, expulsion, and violence against the Kurdish population and Rojava” . Uli Deck/dpa
A woman takes part in a pro-Kurdish demonstration in downtown Frankfurt am Main under the slogan “Against the oppression, repression, and massacres of the civilian population, especially Kurds in Rojava, by Islamist regimes,” to protest the situation in northern Syria. Boris Roessler/dpa
People with flags and posters take part in a pro-Kurdish demonstration at the main train station. Bernd Thissen/dpa
