The German city of Celle, which has a large population of Êzîdîs, was going to host an important event yesterday; the 1st Êzîdî Culture Festival, to which Êzîdîs from across Europe including the nearly 15 thousand Êzîdîs in Celle had been invited.

Co-organized by Êzîdî Associations Union (NAV-YEK), Êzîdî Women’s Councils, Êzîdî Youth Union (HCÊ), Êzîdî Kurdish Artists Platform (PHKÊ) and Shengal Diaspora Assembly, the festival aimed to promote the Êzidî faith and culture.

MUNICIPAL PERMIT CANCELLED

Celle Municipality cancelled the permit it had issued for the festival, to which many Kurdish artists had been invited, at the last minute. Celle Municipality said "Many people will come to the city from outside, there will be problems of parking and security. Adequate preparations for this event have not been made" in order to justify its decision.

Festival organizing committee member and Celle Êzdiyan House Co-president Derwêş Duran spoke to ANF and criticized the municipality’s decision. Duran said that the reasons listed by the municipality do not reflect the truth and recalled that he met with municipal officials twice between April 10 and 20. Duran continued:

"During both meetings, officials examined and approved our preparations for the festival. They had approved the praking and security precautions that they now put forward as a reason for cancellation. We had informed them that we had arranged adequate parking area and nearly one hundred people would provide security during the festival. The municipality then approved these plans."

POLICE: STATE ADMINISTRATION MADE THE DECISION

Regarding the meeting he had with Celle mayor Dr. Jörg Nigge, festival organizing committee member Derwêş Duran said "Mr. Nigge said that there is not much he could do and implied that the decision was political and taken by other units."

Duran drew attention to the meeting they had with police officials, and said "They made it clear to us that the decision was taken by the Lower Saxony State administration." Duran described the decision as part of Germany’s policies towards Rojava and Shengal.

German Interior Ministry had sent a notice to all states on March 2, 2017 and demanded that they ban the flags of many Kurdish parties and organizations including PYD, YPG, YPJ, PCDK, YXK and NAV-DEM.

The same day, gangs affiliated with South Kurdistan's KDP attacked Shengal's Khanasor town. It emerged afterwards that the attack by so-called “Rojava Peshmergas” was carried out with the military equipment Germany had given to KDP for the fight against ISIS.