German police fear ‘proxy Syria war’ after Kurds clash with Muslim radicals

COPENHAGEN, Denmark – German riot police fought street battles with Kurds protesting against the Islamic State’s (ISIS) assault on the Syrian town of Kobane, in a fourth straight day of protests on Thursday.

In Hamburg, police intervened after a peaceful protest by more than 1,000 Kurds turned violent, arresting 46 people and confiscating batons, knives and a machete among the Kurds. The detained were all freed later Thursday.

Protesters began their demonstration with banners and flags, demanding Turkey free Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). But riots erupted after the procession reached the port city’s Altona district.

According to German police the group threw bottles and stones. At least one man was wounded in the head and was taken to hospital. A firearm and ammunition were confiscated by police.

The head of Germany’s police trade union, Rainer Wendt, said officers had experienced "raw violence."

"We are threatened with the possibility of a proxy war breaking out in Germany," he told the German Spiegel magazine, referring to the conflicts in Iraq and Syria.

The latest trouble followed violent clashes between Yezidi Kurds and pro-ISIS Chechen Muslims in the German cities of Hamburg and Celle several days ago. Police were forced to request reinforcements from neighboring districts and use pepper spray and batons to restore order.

Five people were injured, one seriously. There were punches, kicks and blows with various objects. Four policemen were also injured, one suffering a concussion.

According to spokesperson from Lüneberg Police, Guido Koch, "highly aggressive groups" of 250 Yezidis and "100 Muslims" tried to break through police lines and attacked the police with stones, bottles and other objects.

“There have never been such clashes in Celle between religious groups,” Koch said.