German police in the city of Cologne have launched an investigation after a protester carried posters of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan decorated with Nazi symbols during Erdogan’s rally in Cologne on 24 May. Cologne police announced in a written statement that eight people were arrested in two separate protests held against Erdogan, and that protests in general were largely peaceful.
Four people were arrested on damage to property and physical assault during a rally organised by extreme right-wing Pro-NRW party, the statement said. Another four protesters were held after they tried to stop Erdogan’s convoy in Ottoplatz square, it added. Erdogan addressed thousands of German citizens of Turkish origin at Lanxess Arena on the 10th founding anniversary of the Union of European Turkish Democrats.