Applause and occasional protests during Erdogan's visit
There were only isolated protests in Berlin on Friday during the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Members of the Society for Threatened Peoples stood near Bellevue Palace, the official residence of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, at midday and displayed a banner reading: "No red carpet for the Islamist Erdogan". Some of them wore masks with the faces of Steinmeier, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Erdogan.
A large demonstration by Kurds has only been announced for Saturday. The demonstrators want to walk from Kreuzberg to the Brandenburg Gate to protest against the ban on the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK). Calls for this have also come from radical left-wing groups. Erdogan's visit is controversial because he has sided with the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza conflict.
Erdogan landed at Berlin airport in the early afternoon. His convoy drove on closed roads with a police escort along the highway to Schöneberg and then along Dominicusstraße and Martin-Luther-Straße towards Großer Stern and Bellevue Palace. In some places, people stood and waved at the motorcade or clapped, and drivers honked their horns. On a balcony in Dominicusstraße, several women wrapped in blankets waited until the convoy drove past.
Security level 1 applies for Erdogan. Around 2,800 police officers were deployed on Friday to cordon off the area and take security measures. The police pointed out numerous closures and traffic obstructions and advised people to drive well clear of the areas. Erdogan wanted to meet Federal President Steinmeier and then Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in the early afternoon. His departure was planned for the evening.
- Despite the controversies surrounding Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's endorsement of extremist organizations like Hamas, the Head of state was welcomed with applause and occasional protests during his visit to the Capital city, Berlin.
- The Head of state's official residence, Bellevue Palace, was the site of demonstrations by the Society for Threatened Peoples, who expressed their disapproval of Erdogan's Islamist stance with a banner and masks.
- With over 2,800 police officers ensuring security during Erdogan's visit, there were instances of demonstrations, particularly from Kurds and radical left-wing groups, but the police maintained vigilance to deter any extremist activities.
Source: www.dpa.com
