Four hundred participants had registered. In the evening, around 4,000 demonstrators turned up. A pro-Kurdish demonstration in the city centre got out of control, with attacks on a Syrian restaurant and the police.
The demonstration’s slogan was ‘Against the killing of innocent people, civilians and children’. The police were deployed in large numbers. Because significantly more people turned up than announced, additional forces were called in during the course of the evening.
The police confirmed that clashes broke out at the edge of the demonstration march. A spokesperson said in the early evening that investigations were still ongoing to determine who was involved and whether there had been any physical altercations. He emphasised that the situation was under control and that there was no danger to bystanders. But the mood changed.
According to information obtained by the newspaper BILD, the demonstrators’ anger was directed primarily at a Syrian restaurant near the main railway station. Participants rioted in front of the restaurant, smashing chairs and tables. The shop windows were damaged and the salad bar in the entrance area was destroyed. The demonstrators also looted the cash register, the owner told BILD. ‘The money is gone,’ said the Syrian.
According to the police, the demonstration was officially dispersed at around 8 p.m. However, the situation did not calm down immediately. Further clashes between participants and emergency services took place on the station forecourt. Firecrackers and pyrotechnics were set off and thrown at the police. According to information obtained by BILD, some participants even attacked police officers with iron bars. Several officers were injured.
The situation did not only escalate in Dortmund. In Stuttgart, too, police officers were attacked with fireworks during a pro-Kurdish demonstration in the evening. The Stuttgart police made it clear: ‘We will not tolerate violence against the police, and those responsible will face severe consequences.’
Both demonstrations are believed to be related to the ongoing fighting in northern Syria. Despite a ceasefire over the weekend, fighting continues to flare up. According to Kurdish representatives, the latest negotiations between Kurdish fighters and the central government in Damascus have failed.
Dortmund: Restaurant bei prokurdischer Demo zerstört und geplündert | News | BILD.de