The Federal Ministry of the Interior submitted on the 2nd of March 2017 a decree to all federal 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.

This decision of the German Interior Ministry as well as the German government's policy of criminalizing the Kurdish people will be condemned in a mass demonstration organized by the PYD Berlin branch on Saturday, tomorrow.

The demonstration will take place under the slogans "Freedom for Rojava" and "Struggle against the criminalization of the PYD, YPG, YPJ" and also many German leftist and socialist groups will show their support in the protest demonstration in addition to the Kurdish institutions in Berlin.

The PYD has released a written statement concerning the demonstration and reminded of the democratic values the PYD is defending in Rojava and Shengal, and the freedom, democracy, and peace the YPG and YPJ are fighting for in Rojava, and said:

"Everyone who mobilizes for the sake of democracy, needs to stand up for Rojava and Shengal as well. We do not accept the policy of criminalization and prohibition of the PYD, YPG and YPJ. We therefore call upon all democratic groups to join our demonstration".

Member of the PYD council Xebat Shakir expressed his reaction on the decision of Germany, calling it anti-democratic. Shakir recalled the fight against ISIS and suchlike terrorist groups the YPG and YPJ is leading together with the International Coalition and continued: "We are now fighting in the Middle East a war against ISIS' terror, which has already gripped the attention of the entire world. In the frontlines of this struggle we pay a high price every single day. We are also part of the International Coalition, which is at war against these terrorist organizations. However a member of this Coalition, Germany, is banning our symbols. This is comical and illogical. We consider this anti-democratic and nonjudicial. Germany should revert this decision immediately".

Representative of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria in Europe Sinam Muhamad as well as representatives of the German Journalists Union (DJU) and the Left Party (Die Linke) will attend and speak at the demonstration, which will take place on Saturday at 12 o'clock at Mathilde-Jakop-Platz in front of the City Hall (Rathaus).