After the raids on the Kawa Federation and the Democratic Society Center in Darmstadt, as well as on several houses, protests were organized against the criminalization policy.
On the morning of 19 April, the police stormed the premises of the "Democratic Society Center of Kurds in Darmstadt e.V." and the office of the "Federation of Democratic Associations - KAWA e.V." also in Darmstadt, as well as several flats of activists in Hesse. The police broke down doors and vandalized the premises. Flags and pictures were torn down. The alleged display of a "forbidden" flag at a commemoration event in June 2020 was given as a pretext for the repressive measure.
Kurds immediately organized protests against this massive attack on their associations. A rally took place in Darmstadt and Mehmet Çoban, co-chair of the KAWA Federation, spoke about what happened.
Çoban said the police called him at 6:22 am and asked him to go to the Democratic Society Center in Darmstadt, saying they had already broken into the premises. The searches lasted until 11 am, Çoban said, adding: “The German state has been criminalizing us Kurds for 30 years, and we Kurds continue to resist. The homes of Songül Çelik and Mehmet Emin Deniz, the former co-chairs of our association, were also searched. In addition, friend Halis, the co-chair of the People's Council of Frankfurt, had his house searched."
Repression attack in the run-up to the elections in Turkey
Noting that the timing of the searches was significant, Çoban said: “The German state is checking up on us very closely. They know where we are going and what we are doing and that we are operating legally. In our association there were brochures about the earthquake in Pazarcik. Because of the forthcoming elections, there were also HDP flags and brochures there. It is extremely significant that these raids took place in the immediate run-up to Turkey's elections.”
However, the criminalization policy will not lead to any result, emphasized Çoban and demanded respect for the democratic rights of the people of Kurdistan.
Then the former co-chair of the social centre, Songül Çelik, who was herself affected by the raids, took the floor and recalled the severe repression she had experienced at the hands of the Turkish state, which did not end when she came to Germany. Songül Çelik emphasized that the KAWA Federation is a legal and legitimate structure: “In KAWA, we live our culture together and continue our struggle for dignity. Every bird is said to fly to its flock. The bird that separates from its flock perishes. It is the same for Kurdish society. If we don't keep together, we will die. Because we live in a different culture, a different society, we try to keep our culture, our values and our struggle for democracy in our own society. It is clear why the state searched our homes.”
Die Linke: "End the criminalization of Kurdish associations"
Die Linke politician Uli Franke also spoke at the rally. In a press statement, the party’s parliamentary group expressed solidarity with the Kurdish structures affected by criminalization. Jan Schalauske, chair of the parliamentary group Die Linke. in the Hessian state parliament, said: "It is frightening that German authorities think they have to support a policy of persecuting and suppressing opposition figures, which is what the Turkish despot Recep Tayyip Erdogan does. The fact is that under the Erdogan regime, constitutional standards and human rights have been trampled underfoot for years. For Die Linke, one thing is certain: the criminalization of Kurdish associations in Germany must end. The fact that, among other things, the symbols of the Syrian-Kurdish YPG and YPJ, whose fight against the Islamic State was recognized around the world, were banned in this country, is just bizarre. Ironically, this showing of appropriate symbols or involvement in the opposition party HDP is given as the reason for the searches.”
"Organizations searched with no evidence"
Die Linke shares the assessment of the Kurdish associations concerned that the premises were only searched on the basis of flimsy or no evidence. The politician said: “It is bitter that such a wave of repression against Kurdish associations is possible in Hesse. An electoral campaign gift to Erdogan is the last thing we should want.”
