Thousands of Kurds demonstrate against Ankara in Cologne, Germany

AP , Saturday 3 Sep 2016

Kurdish Turks gather to protest against Turkish President
A protester flashes victory signs as he wears a flag with the image of Abdullah Ocalan, jailed leader of Kurdistan's Workers' Party PPK, during a rally of several thousands Kurdish Turks against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his leading AKP party in Cologne, Germany September 3, 2016.

Thousands of Kurds, including many carrying flags with the image of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, have gathered for a demonstration in the German city of Cologne.

Organizers say Saturday's demonstration is aimed in part at protesting against Turkey's military intervention in northern Syria and what they call the "dictatorial" behavior of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Cologne police put more than 1,000 officers in place to prevent trouble. City police chief Juergen Mathies told news agency dpa that pictures of Ocalan were allowed but demonstrators would not be allowed to show symbols of the banned PKK, or Kurdistan Workers' Party.

A month ago, up to 40,000 people rallied at the same site to denounce the attempted military coup in Turkey and show support for Erdogan.

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