German FM met with Kurdish protest in Osnabruck

A demonstration was held in an event Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was attending in Osnabruck by YXK and JXK member students to draw attention to the hunger strikes and Rojava.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was invited as a speaker to the event titled “Germany’s Responsibility in the World” in Osnabruck, Germany. Kurdistan Students Union (YXK) and Kurdish Women Students (JXK) members held a demonstration at the event held in the Schlossaula Palace.

Kurdish students held a banner that read, “Biji Berxwedana Rojava” (“Long Live the Rojava Resistance”) and Rojava flags in the palace courtyard. The students pointed to the hunger strikes demanding an end to the isolation imposed upon Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Ocalan and called for awareness. The students also said solidarity with Rojava should increase and demanded that the weapons sales to the Turkish state stop.

TOUGH QUESTIONS FROM THE YOUTH

One of the protesters held a brief conversation with Minister Maas in front of the palace and said Rojava Kurdistan should be declared a no-fly zone to protect the region from Turkish state attacks. Maas was startled by the activist’s questions and remained silent before going into the building. During the event, a young Kurdish man asked Maas about the weapons trade with the Turkish state, YPG’s victory against ISIS and Germany’s criminalization policies against Kurds in Germany.

Maas gave evasive answers and argued that there is no criminalization policy against Kurds. The Minister avoided the issue of weapons sales to Turkey completely and said he favors the ongoing embargo against Saudi Arabia.