ATIK | Confederation of Workers from Turkey in Europe | AHM-ATIK News Center
COLOGNE | 24-05-2014 | Thousands of Erdogan opponents took to the streets of Cologne to protest against the Turkish prime minister’s visit. They were demonstrating against his attitude to minorities and the mine tragedy in Soma.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Germany yesterday was marked by a large demonstration in the city of Cologne. According to organisers 100 thousand people attended the rally in the centre of Cologne, called to protest at the Turkish Prime Minister’s repressive policies.
The protesters responded to calls by the European Peace and Democracy Assembly ABDEM), components of the Union of Democratic Forces such as ATIF, PARTIZAN, the Democratic Kurdish Society Congress in Europe (KCD-E) and Alevi organisations to attend the demonstration.
Speeches made at the rally condemned the Turkish government for its complicity in the Soma mine disaster and accused Erdoğan of visiting Germany in order to create divisions amongst Turkish migrants living there.
Many of those at the rally were dressed as mineworkers in memory of the 301 workers who died at Soma, and banners and posters compared Erdoğan to Hitler and demanded he “get lost”.
