Demonstrations and rallies against the imminent invasion of the Turkish army in southern Kurdistan took place in dozens of cities in Europe on Saturday.

The background to the protests is Turkey's renewed mobilization of troops for a war of aggression on Iraqi territory. The Erdogan government uses the presence of the guerrillas as an excuse. There are many indications that the KDP party, which is dominated by the Barzani clan, will directly participate in the operation with ground troops. Kurdish politicians, intellectuals and artists as well as a large part of the Kurdish population are opposed to this war and are demanding a peaceful solution.

Kiel

In Kiel, dozens of people met for a demonstration at the main train station. Erdogan's war policy and the KDP's collaboration were condemned in German and Kurdish speeches.

Düsseldorf

At a demonstration in Düsseldorf, the slogan "Bimre xiyanet" (down with treason) was repeated over and over again. The speakers were Ahmet Elmas from the NRW association FED-MED and Ayten Kaplan, spokeswoman for the women's association YJK-E.

Bremen

In Bremen, the Biratî association had called for a demonstration in front of the state parliament. The co-chair of the European association KCDK-E, Yüksel Koç, called on the KDP not to make itself a toy of the Turkish state. The history of the Barzani party is characterized by betrayal of the Kurdish people. Zozan Dêrik, European representative of the women's association Kongra-Star from north-east Syria said: "In the past few days, evidence has again emerged that the Barzanis live in palaces, while Kurdistan lives in poverty."

Berlin

At a protest on Berlin's Alexanderplatz, historian and journalist Nick Brauns pointed out that Turkey, as a NATO member, is conducting cross-border military operations. NATO is silent on the aggressive war and the KDP supports it. Anyone who protests against it will be labeled as a terrorist. On the fringes of the action, signatures were collected for the campaign to decriminalize the Kurdish liberation movement.

Freiburg

A demonstration took place in Freiburg, and ended with a rally on the square of the old synagogue. DKTM Chairman Salih Tori said in a speech: "In its history, the Turkish state has committed every form of attack in order to carry out genocide against the Kurds. These attacks continue and today are supported by the KDP and the Barzanî family, which claims to be the owners of Kurdistan. This family colludes with AKP/MHP fascism to kill Kurdish youth. We appeal to the KDP to give up treason and finally serve their own people.”

Stuttgart

Many different groups took part in a protest against Turkey's war of aggression, which violated international law, on Lautenschlager Strasse in Stuttgart. Speakers said: “With the support of the NATO states and together with the Barzani clan, the NATO partner Turkey is planning an attack on the civilian population and the guerrillas in southern Kurdistan. We will not stand by and take our anger out onto the streets here in Stuttgart and in Europe.”

Hamburg

At a rally in Hamburg-Altona there was a provocation by Turkish Islamo-fascists, who openly avowed themselves to the so-called "Islamic State" with a raised index finger. Speeches at the rally referred to the Erdogan regime's expansionism and support for NATO.

Further actions took place in Hanover and Saarbrücken.