Women in Germany organised various actions and marches in many cities on 25 November to mark the international day of struggle for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Thousands took to the streets to protest violence against women.  

BERLIN

Women’s organisations in Berlin, Destan Berlin Women’s Assembly, Immigrant Women Solidarity Association, Kurdish Women in Exile, and the International Space for Women, Immigrant Women Unity and Amoro Fora organised a march to protest violence against women. The march was attended by around 600 women.

The demonstrators joining the march condemned massacres against women and the enslavement of women by ISIS, as well as sending solidarity messages to the women resisting in Sinjar and Kobanê.

The march in Berlin started in Hermannplat and ended with a rally at Neucologne. Women carried banners and placards in solidarity with the Kobanê resistance, condemning the assaults of ISIS on women and violence they are being subjected to. The speeches at the rally at Neucologne also re-voiced solidarity messages for the women of Kobanê and Sinjar as well as calling on all the women to step up the struggle against violence and strengthen the sisterly solidarity amongst themselves.

MANNHEIM

The march in Mannheim started off from the square in front of the Mannheim University, bringing together around 500 German and immigrant women. The Kurdish Society Centre in Mannheim and Ludwigshafen also actively supported the march.

Women chanted slogans during the march to Markplatz, condemning the violence against women and cheering women’s solidarity. The massacres of ISIS in Sinjar and violent attacks on Kobanê were also condemned during the march by the women, who also carried pictures of women revolutionaries including Rosa Luxemburg, Sakine Cansız,  Fidan Doğan and Leyla Şaylemez.  The women stressed in their speeches that as violence against women, sexual assault and rape is increasing, women must get unified in order to empower themselves in their struggle.

The march continued until 19:00 in the evening.

HAMBURG

Women held a march in Hamburg as well to mark the International day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The march, organised by a joint platform of Rojbin Women’s Assembly, Ates, the European Democratic Women’s Movement, Courage, MLPD, Modaran, Red Women Committee, SKB, New Women, started off at 18:00 at Hachmannplatz.

Women also commemorated the struggle of the Mirabel sisters and the three revolutionary Kurdish women assassinated in Paris, as well as Hülya Arslan, a woman activist who was murdered by her son in Hamburg last May. The speeches also greeted the struggle of YPJ women fighters in Kobanê and Rojava.

The lack of participation of Kurdish men in the march was highly criticized by women demonstrators.

The march ended by a call for participation to the march to be organised in Sternschanze neighbourhood on 29 November demanding “Lift the ban on the PKK, freedom to Mehmet Demir”.

STUTTGART

A march by many women from many different ethnic backgrounds, including German, Kurdish, Turkish, Arab was organised in Stuttgart under the slogan “Stop the violence against women all around the world: solidarity with Kobanê”.

The march started off at Stadtmitte at 16:00. Women made speeches in Kurdish, Turkish, German and Persian, condemning the violence against women and greeting the Kobanê resistance as well as calling for more solidarity with Kobanê.

It ended after musical performances by Lukas Weissert from MLPD and the Erbane group from Mesopotamian Women.