Nine Participants of Berlin Pro-Kurdish Rally Suffer Smoke Inhalation – Police

Nine people have suffered smoke inhalation as a result of an explosion of a smoke grenade at a rally in Berlin in support of independence for Iraqi Kurdistan, local police said on Monday in a statement.

BERLIN (Sputnik) – The incident took place late on Sunday in the western borough of Spandau, where around 400 people gathered to take part in the demonstration.

"A smoke grenade exploded at about 10 p.m. local time [20:00 GMT] on Sunday, nine people suffered smoke inhalation," the statement said.

All nine people got medical treatment and did not require hospitalization. There is still no information as to who threw the smoke grenade.

On June 7, Iraqi Kurdistan's President Masoud Barzani announced his intention to hold a referendum on the independence of the autonomous region from Iraq on September 25. Many representatives of Kurdish diasporas in Europe support Barzani’s decision.