Kurds demonstrate against Islamic State in violent clashes with radical Islamists in Hamburg

Kurds demonstrating against Islamic State were involved in violent clashes with radical Islamists for a third consecutive night in Hamburg as tensions over the fighting in Syria spilled into Germany.

About 1,300 police officers were deployed on Wednesday night in the northern port, Germany’s second-biggest city, where they arrested and detained 64 people, confiscated a loaded pistol, machetes and truncheons, said a Hamburg police spokesman. The violence was triggered as Kurds clashed with Salafist-influenced individuals following a peaceful anti-Islamic State demonstration, he said. The two groups have clashed each night since Monday, injuring at least 15 people and damaging a Turkish restaurant.

Police sent in trucks mounted with water cannon to try to divide them, authorities said yesterday in a statement.

The Hamburg riots echo similar protests against the advance of Islamic State into the strategic Syrian town of Kobani that have been staged throughout Europe and led to deadly clashes in Turkey. Turkish forces Kurds have also vented their rage at Turkish forces standing by the border with Syria as the militants use superior arms to prise Kurdish fighters from Kobani street by street.

In Germany, where the country’s 1.55 million Turks form the biggest ethnic minority, politicians responded by announcing plans to clamp down on so-called “hate-preachers” they say are stirring up violence among youths.

While no demonstrations were planned for yesterday, Hamburg police were bracing for more events today after Friday prayers, it said. The police is setting up a special unit to investigate the clashes, he said.

– (Bloomberg)