In Krefeld there has been a demonstration forUğur Şakar, who set himself on fire in protest against the isolation of Öcalan. The police claimed that Sakar had tried to burn himself due to mental health problems.
A demonstration for the Kurdish activist Uğur Şakar took place in front of Krefeld district court. The 43-year-old Kurdish man had wanted to burn himself in front of the courthouse last Wednesday and suffered severe burn injuries. He is still in mortal danger.
In a handwritten letter Şakar designated the motive for his self-immolation as his protest against German police violence and repression against the Kurdish movement. He also refused to accept the silence of the public regarding the Kurdish hunger strike campaign.
Since November 2018 more than 300 political prisoners are on hunger strike in Turkish prisons initiated by the Kurdish politician Leyla Güven to end the years-long total isolation of Abdullah Ocalan. Also in Strasbourg, Toronto, Newport, Kassel, Nuremberg, Duisburg, Hewlêr and other cities activists with the same demand have gone on a hunger strike.
With his self-immolation, Sakar wanted to emphasize this demand. The German police claimed, however, that Sakar had tried to burn himself because of psychological problems. Nor did the German media give a wide coverage of the political content of the action.
Participants of the demonstration strongly criticized the attitude of the German police and the press. They said that Uğur Şakar pursued the goal of putting a sign and breaking the silence on hunger strikes and the isolation of 70-year-old Öcalan. Subsequently, the activists laid down a black wreath in front of the Krefeld district court as a sign of protest against the federal government.
