Cologne Authorities Cancel Kurdish Cultural Festival Over Security Concerns

Authorities in the western German city of Cologne cancelled the annual Kurdish cultural festival on Wednesday after police warned of possible clashes with Turks, the city police chief said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The 24th edition of the Kurdish festival was scheduled for September 3. It was being negotiated with local sports authorities and would take place at the Rhein Energie Stadium.

"I advised Koelner Sportstaetten GmbH [stadium manager] against signing the agreement. During today’s security talks, the firm’s representatives said they had followed the advice and broke off negotiations with the organizer," Cologne police chief Juergen Mathies said in a statement.

Mathies said he had been following closely events inside Germany and abroad since last month. Tensions flared up in Turkey following the July 15 coup attempt and ensuing crackdown as well as its recent attacks on Kurdish militias.

The president of the Cologne police said they feared that the events in Turkey could spill over into Germany, which has a significant Turkish population, and lead to clashes between Turks and Kurdish revelers.