The German police raided Bremen’s Democratic Kurdish Society Centre (DKTM) on Saturday afternoon. At the time of the raid, a meeting of women of the local Kurdish People’s Council was taking place. The police refused to allow anyone to enter or leave the centre until late at night, and checking the identities of all 40 people inside.
Those present during the raid described it as “brutal” and said that the police did not show a search warrant, despite being asked several times. At least one person has been arrested and remains in custody, with no official information on the reason for the arrest yet being given.
In response to the raid, Kurds from Bremen and supporters gathered outside the building to demonstrate in protest.
Kurdish activist and doctor Dersim Dağdeviren condemned the raid on X, saying that the criminalisation of Kurds in Germany continues despite the call for peace made by the imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan on 27 February, and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) declaration of a unilateral ceasefire on 1 March, which had been “welcomed” by the German Foreign Ministry. “Enough is enough”, Dağdeviren said.
The police raid on Saturday is the third such raid against the Kurdish centre in recent times, following raids in January and November last year. Additionally, a cartridge bearing a swastika was posted through the letterbox in February 2024.
