Kurdish Community in Germany celebrates its 30th anniversary

BERLIN, Germany - Kurdish Community in Germany on Tuesday celebrated its 30th anniversary during an event participated by many organziatins, politicians and officials. 

The event was held at the German parliament, Bundestag.

The umbrella group represents Kurdish organizations supporting preservation of Kurdish culture and advocating for the ethnic group’s identity in the country. It represents an estimated 1-2 million Kurds living in Germany.
 
"Today, all the party representatives emphasized the importance of the Kurdish community for Germany. It makes me happy that, after 30 years of hard work, both politically and diplomatically, we have ensured that Kurds are recognized and seriously heard here and, above all, we are considered a part of this community," Ali Ertan Toprak, chairman of the community, told Rudaw. 

The group has successfully tried to have the Kurdish language studied in schools across six states in Germany. 

Reem Alabali-Radovan, Germany's state minister for integration, also attended the event. She highlighted anti-Kurd racism in the country. 

"Kurds living in Germany, like other migrant groups, face challenges. Additionally, they face discrimination, for example in the workplace. Despite contributing a lot for this country for decades, honestly, they are exposed to anti-Kurd racism, including migrant groups. This is a topic that needs to be discussed more and confronted in the future," she said. 

One of the important achievements of the non-partisan body is the establishment of a parliamentary group in five different regions of Germany.

The group consists of 35 organizations and nearly 10,000 members, with ten percent of them being Germans.