Masses gathered in German capital Berlin today to condemn the Federal Ministry of Interior's ban on PYD, YPG/YPJ flags in effect since March. The protest march that kicked off from Tierarten Municipality was held with the motto “Freedom for Rojava”, “Struggle against the criminalization of PYD, YPG, YPJ”.

Before the march began, Northern Syria Democratic Federation Representative for Europe Sinam Mohamad held a speech, in which she called on the German government to reverse the ban and called for solidarity with YPG.

In addition to the Kurdish institutions and organizations in Berlin, leftist and socialist groups from Germany also joined the demonstration which witnessed repeated provocations by the police.

Despite the police announcements to “not unfurl banned flags”, demonstrators remained determined to hold the PYD, YPG, YPJ flags high.

As the demonstration neared the end, police attacked the mass and tried to confiscate the flags and symbols by use of force. The crackdown left three demonstrators injured, one seriously. The injured were rushed to hospital and taken under treatment.

During the crackdown with tear gas, police detained 7 protestors who included German citizens and were battered during detention.

The mass later started sit-in at the junction of Chaussee Strasse and Schwartzkopff Strasse in protest at the crackdown on peaceful protesters, stressing that they will continue their action until the detainees are released. The sit-in ended after the release of those detained.

The Federal Ministry of the Interior submitted on the 2nd of March 2017 a decree to all states demanding a ban on flags and symbols of several Kurdish parties and organisations, including the PYD (Democratic Union Party), YPG (People's Protection Units), YPJ (Women's Protection Units), PJAK (Kurdistan Free Life Party), YXK (Association of Students from Kurdistan) and NAV-DEM (Democratic Kurdish Society Center) among others. The Ministry described the decree as a renewing of the PKK ban in effect in Germany since 1993.