A memorial service was held in Munich for Thomas (Azad Şergeş), a guerrilla fighter in the ranks of the HPG (People’s Defense Forces) who died in Xakurke in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) on 15 June. Before Thomas joined the Kurdish freedom movement in 2016 and adopted the name of Azad Şergeş as nom de guerre, he was politically active in Bavaria. Many people still knew him from that time, were organised with him, fought with him on the streets, experienced successes and defeats together.

Many felt the need to come together after the news of his death, to express their feelings of grief and anger collectively and not to remain in resentment. Not only former companions were part of the commemoration of Thomas, but also comrades who did not know him personally, but who continue to carry on the struggle he led in Germany at that time. Many people took part in the preparations, decorating the rooms, making candles, printing mourning cards, collecting pictures, videos and letters from Thomas, cooking and preparing contributions.

The evening was filled with obituaries from comrades who continue his struggle in Germany and from people who accompanied him in the Kurdish movement. In a minute of silence, Thomas and the guerrilla fighters who died with him, Asya Kanîreş (Kadriye Tetik) and Koçer Medya (Diyako Saîdî), were remembered. The comrades recounted memorable moments and anecdotes they had experienced with Thomas. Friends participated with their own poems and songs. His mother spontaneously took the floor, talked about the cohesion in the family after Thomas' departure and recited the poem "At the End of Time" by Rose Ausländer. Meanwhile, arm and hair bands were knotted, and donations collected for Red Aid International's "Gas Masks for the Guerrillas" campaign. At the end of the evening, the song "Bella Ciao" was sung together in Italian, Kurdish and German, with the promise to sing it at his grave one day.