Germany increases security ahead of G20 summit expecting extremist protesters

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – In preparation for the upcoming G20 Summit in the German city of Hamburg, police forces are increasing their numbers to prepare for potential rioting and violence. Authorities are expecting up to 10,000 far-left activists from across Europe, including Kurdish and Turkish activists, potentially creating a climate for chaos among Kurdish groups and nationalistic Turkish groups, Germany’s Die Welt reported today. "Overall, there is a high potential for mobilization by mixing non-extremists, left-wing German extremists and Turkish-Kurdish extremist groups," the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution for Germany (BfV) said in a statement. Hamburg will up its police force to approximately 15,000 officers with an additional 5,000 federal officers coming from other regions. All security forces have been trained for several different scenarios, including terrorist attacks. Heads of governments of 20 of the most major economies in the world, including Germany’s Angela Merkel, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and the US’s Donald Trump, among other important leaders will be in attendance. The heightened security comes following a brawl that erupted outside of the Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C. last month between Turkey’s security detail and peaceful protesters. Germany is taking precautions to avoid a similar scenario for the July 7-8 summit in Hamburg. Its foreign ministry made it clear that any of Erdogan’s bodyguards who were issued arrest warrants in Washington are not welcome in the country. Germany banned symbols earlier this year connected with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a Turkey-based party and named terrorist organization in Turkey and Europe. Germany however has allowed pro-PKK demonstrations, typically only arresting members for violent offenses. Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), along with the ultra-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) live in Europe, as well as those in the opposition including Gulenists, who the AKP believes orchestrated last summer’s failed military coup. The two NATO allies have been engaged in diplomatic spats over the past few months. This spring, German officials forbid Turkish politicians from holding rallies ahead of the constitutional referendum. Earlier this month, Germany announced it would withdraw its forces from Incirlik air base in Turkey.