Cologne under the sign of freedom: Thousands demand Öcalan's release!

Cologne under the sign of freedom: Thousands demand Öcalan's release!

In Cologne, several thousand people gathered for a powerful Kurdish demonstration under the powerful motto “Freedom for Öcalan”. Abdullah Öcalan, who is known in Germany as the head of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), has been in Turkish custody for 25 years. The participants of the demonstration loudly chanted his name, while the police estimated the number of those present at several thousand.

The police reported that the event was largely peaceful, although smoke pots were occasionally set off. The demonstration was briefly stopped to check whether banned PKK symbols were being shown. A police spokesman warned: “If the suspicion is confirmed, we will subsequently initiate proceedings accordingly.” However, the demonstration quickly continued on its way.

Emotional atmosphere and security precautions

The PKK is classified as a terrorist organization in Turkey as well as in the EU and the USA and has been banned in Germany since 1993. Showing PKK symbols is illegal. Before the demonstration, police operations manager Bastian Marter said that the situation was “highly emotional” for many Kurds and Turks living in Germany, which brought with it an increased potential for conflict. In order to protect freedom of expression, a large number of emergency services were deployed to prevent possible clashes between different opinion groups.

The route of the demonstration took the participants over the Severinsbrücke into Cologne city center and back to the starting point. Despite the high expectations, the number of participants remained below 10,000, which the police confirmed. There were also two internal emergencies that were probably caused by vibrations on a bridge over the Rhine, similar to a previous demonstration in February.