HANOVER’S city centre was taken over by thousands of Kurds and their left-wing supporters at the weekend as they protested against Turkey’s offensive in Afrin and Germany’s arms sales to Ankara.

Under the banner “Newroz means resistance — the resistance is Afrin,” marking Tuesday’s Kurdish New Year, the protest was largely peaceful.

Against a backdrop of music and songs praising the military feats of the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG/YPJ), protesters shouted: “Long live the Afrin resistance,” “Long live YPG/YPJ resistance” and “Murderer Erdogan,” referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.