The long march of the Kurdish youth movement for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan continues for the fifth day in a row. The starting point of today's stage was Offenburg. Today, the young activists are again addressing the earthquake catastrophe in Turkey and Syria, which has now claimed more than 16,000 lives, and are carrying a banner with the inscription "Responsible is a hundred years of Turkish colonialism in Kurdistan."

In a statement on behalf of the participants, the Turkish state was held responsible for the consequences of the earthquake. “Despite the looming catastrophe, no measures were taken in the earthquake area beforehand and now help for those affected is being prevented,” said the activists and called for solidarity.

At the same time, leaflets were distributed with information about Abdullah Öcalan's importance for a solution to the Kurdish question and the democratisation of Turkey. There has been no sign of life from the Kurdish leader for almost two years. He has been isolated in the Imrali island prison since his deportation to Turkey on 15 February 1999. The activists made it clear that the real aim of their demonstration was the physical freedom of Öcalan, which, they said, is a prerequisite for ending the dirty politics in Kurdistan.

On Wednesday, the long march led from Reutlingen to Tübingen. In front of the house where Sarah Handelmann (Sara Dorşîn) lived for a time in Tübingen, the internationalist who died in Kurdistan was commemorated.

The large demonstration in Strasbourg planned for Saturday, which was to be the end point of the two long marches through Germany and Switzerland, has been postponed due to the earthquake.