A group of Kurds appealed to the German police for a demonstration in Halle-Trotha for November 26 to protest the Turkish isolation on Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. But German police said that they banned the demo because they believed the participants would carry Kurdish symbols that are banned in Germany.

The police said the observation of “Sunday of the Dead” was another factor on their decision to ban the demo.

Although the representatives of Kurdish community appealed to a German court, the ban remained in force.

The riot police were deployed in the city centre on Sunday afternoon and they pointed out to the individuals who wanted to join the demonstration that it had been banned, causing the demo participants to leave. The police intervention took place without violent incidents.

Only a day ago, on Saturday, a group of Kurds were granted permission to hold a demonstration in Leipzig city centre, which is 50 kilometres south-east of Halle-Trotha. The demonstrators held posters of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan and demanded his freedom.

Last March, German Federal Government banned Kurdish symbols, including posters of Abdullah Ocalan and YPG/YPJ flags, in the country. The decision is widely considered as a part of an agreement between German and Turkish governments. Kurdish groups say that German government is trying to secure release of its imprisoned citizens in Turkey by oppressing Kurds in accordance with the demands of Erdogan regime.