Berlin Democracy and Freedom Platform held a demonstration in protest at Germany’s ban on Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s posters and flags of Kurdish organisations with the slogan ‘Freedom for Mr. Öcalan and All Political Prisoners, End the Ban on Kurdish Symbols!”

The demonstration at Brandenburger Tor was staged during a meeting in the capital city attended by the interior ministers and security chiefs of states.

“Freedom for Öcalan. Remove the ban on Kurdish symbols” read the banner of the demonstrators who chanted slogans “No Life Without the Leader”, “Long Live Leader Apo”, “Long Live Revolutionary Solidarity” and “Terrorist Erdoğan”. Revolutionaries from Turkey and Germany also supported the demonstration where speeches were held by KCDK-E (European Kurdish Democratic Society Congress) Co-chair Yüksel Koç and NAV-DEM (Kurdish Democratic Society Centre in Germany) Co-chair Tahir Köçer.

KCDK-E Co-chair Yüksel Koç pointed out that images of Öcalan are banned only in Turkey and German, saying; “You cannot take Kurdish People’s Leader Öcalan’s image from the Kurdish people’s heart. These bans of Germany support and encourage dictator Erdoğan and murderer ISIS. We as the Kurdish people and their friends do not accept these bans.”

Condemning the German police’s use of force in an effort to seize the Kurdish symbols, Koç said; “You are confiscating the banner of those who are fighting ISIS murderers for all humanity.”

NAV-DEM Co-chair Tahir Köçer said it was surprising that Germany imposes the same bans and pressures on different cultures and faiths like the Turkish state, adding; “This ban is a great shame for the German state and it must be removed immediately.”

German participants also held speeches and urged Germany to turn back from and rectify these repressive measures that go against democracy and the law.