Some 10,000 followers of the Alawite sect and ethnic Kurds took to the streets of the western German city of Cologne yesterday to protest against the policies of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Many were holding flags depicting Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Some rights groups claim the recent crackdown in Turkey has spread from targeting followers of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed by the government for being behind a failed coup in July, to other opposition circles, including the media and Kurdish groups.
More than 100 journalists are in jail, as are 10 opposition members of parliament.
The Alawites, also known as Alevis, are estimated to be the second-largest religious group in Turkey after the majority Sunnis, with 20mn followers.
Some 6,500 Kurds had already launched a street protest against arrest of leading Kurdish politicians the previous Saturday.
Kurds and Alawites demonstrate in Cologne.
