Clashes broke out between German police and pro-Kurdish protesters at a rally in the city of Dusseldorf on Saturday, local media reported, citing police.
On Saturday, thousands of protesters arrived in Dusseldorf from across Europe to take part in a rally organised by the Kurdish-led platform. The protesters are demanding the release of Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) militant group.
The rally's participants were not allowed to bring banners or flags with the PKK symbols or the pictures of Öcalan to the rally. The ban, however, was massively violated, according to reports.
According to pro-PKK news agency ANF, 15 minutes after the march began, police forces tried to obstruct the mass by putting up barricades before them, and made announcements to not raise Öcalan’s posters. After the participants in the "red" and "green" arms of the demonstration united at Heinrich-Heine Allee Avenue, protesters started sit-in here amid continued announcements, and protested the police obstruction raising Öcalan's posters and PKK flags even higher, pro-PKK ANF news agency reported.
Police therewith attacked the mass with water cannons and tear gas, it says.
The police officers were attacked with flag sticks and had to use pepper spray, the Bild newspaper reported. The teargas has also been used, and water cannons are reportedly set ready. Several people have been detained, the newspaper added.
Kurdish rallies in the German cities cause indignation in Ankara, since their participants call for Öcalan's release, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in Turkey. Ankara regards the organisers of these rallies as PKK's affiliates.
In September, the German ambassador to Turkey was summoned by the country's Foreign Ministry over the Kurdish festival in Germany's Cologne, which was allegedly organised by a PKK branch.
