Alwaght- Germany has banned over 30 symbols used by Kurdish political and military groups, in an alleged bid to ease ongoing tensions with Turkey.
According to German Spiegel newspaper, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere ordered a total of 33 symbols associated with Kurdish politics- including the flag of a US ally in Syria, YPG militia, and a portrait of an outlawed Kurdish party leader- to be banned from public display in Germany. The five-page document with respective instructions and the attached list of prohibited images was forwarded by the minister to regional authorities and federal law enforcement on March 2, according to the outlet.
German interior ministry, however, denied speculation that the move is aimed at appeasing Ankara, arguing that it regularly monitors if the ban on certain group’s insignia should be specified according to the way this group operates.
The already strained Berlin-Ankara ties have recently been exacerbated after several campaign events planned by Erdogan supporters in German cities have been canceled for “security concerns.” The rallies, which were to be visited by senior Turkish government officials, were supposed to be held in support of the controversial constitutional reform that would transform political system from parliamentary to presidential and wiould give the Turkish president extensive powers if voted for in a referendum in April.
The cancellation of the rallies caused a sharp response from Erdogan, who equated the move to “Nazi practices.” The bold comparison has further alienated the two countries, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying that that Erdogan’s remark was “so out of place as to be unworthy of serious comment.”
