Thousands take part in pro-Kurdish protests across Germany

Several thousand people took part in pro-Kurdish protests across Germany on Wednesday evening, police said, following clashes between Kurdish-led forces and government troops in Syria.

Police said that in Hamburg around 2,000 people gathered to support the protection of Kurds in northern and eastern Syria.

In Berlin, protesters marched from the Brandenburg Gate towards Potsdamer Platz, with police estimating the crowd at around 1,000 people.

In Hanover, journalists on site estimated the number of participants at around 2,000, while police estimated it at around 800. Isolated incidents involving pyrotechnics were reported, a police spokesperson said.

In Bremen, police estimated that around 2,300 people took part, some of whom covered their faces, according to a DPA journalist.

Pro-Kurdish demonstrations also took place in the cities of Frankfurt, Kassel and Fulda. A large number of police officers were deployed to monitor the protests.

Clashes broke out on Tuesday during pro-Kurdish demonstrations in Stuttgart and Hanover, during which police officers were attacked with bottles and pyrotechnics.

New fighting broke out earlier this year in Syria between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – a key US ally in the fight against the extremist Islamic State militia – and government troops.

The fighting has focused on power, influence and territorial control in northern and eastern Syria.

Despite an officially declared ceasefire, attacks on Kurdish-controlled areas have continued, critics say.