In March 2017, Germany’s federal Ministry of the Interior ordered authorities to ban supporters from raising the flags and symbols of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the armed People’s Protection Units (YPG).
Turkey considers the PYD and YPG branches of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a named terrorist organization in Turkey and Europe. The PYD and YPG, however, are not officially designated as such in Europe.
The YPG is a key ally of the global coalition to defeat ISIS, an alliance that includes Germany and the majority of European states. Germany has a large Kurdish diaspora population.
A Kurd from Syria recently took the ban on PYD and YPG symbols to court in Berlin a year after the ban came into force and amid popular rallies in support of the Syrian Kurdish canton of Afrin, under an intense Turkey military offensive.
Local police have tolerated the flags and symbols of the PYD and YPG at these rallies.
A police commander explained to the court that they will no longer enforce the ban, a move welcomed by the lawyer representing the Kurdish party.
Berlin's Interior Senator subsequently told German newspaper Tagesspiegel: “We have many demonstrations of international groups in Berlin. It is up to the police to deal with prosecuted symbols."
Courts in Munich and Aachen have also recently made decisions allowing the Kurdish symbols and flags.
A court in the city of Aachen in western Germany declined a request from the prosecutor to sentence Kurd after posted an image of the YPG´s flag on Facebook.
A Munich court has made a similar decision, arguing that symbols of the PKK are banned, but not the PYD and YPG.
In 1993, Germany and the Europe Union banned the PKK and its institutions, but supporters display flags and symbols of the party and images of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in all their activities.
Turkey has condemned what it sees as the German government’s support for the PKK by not cracking down on the flag waving and PKK activities.
While the restrictions on the YPG and PYD are being eased, the ban on the PKK remains in force. The city of Hanover has decided to ban a Newroz festival planned by groups with ties to the PKK.
