Turkey summoned the German ambassador to Ankara in response to a large rally held by Kurds in Cologne on Saturday.

More than 10,000 people rallied in the west German city in support of an independence referendum in Iraq.

Martin Erdmann, German Ambassador to Turkey

Ankara summoned ambassador Martin Erdmann to voice concern over what it called a militant rally, the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.

Read more: Iraqi Kurdish parliament votes to hold independence referendum

"We condemn the organization of a rally in the German city of Cologne by the extensions of the PKK terrorist organizations, and the allowing of terror propaganda. We have voiced our reaction in a strong manner to Germany's ambassador to Ankara, who was called to the ministry," it said.

On Saturday, Kurdish demonstrators called for freedom for Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), independence for Kurdistan, and democracy for the Middle East, local paper Kölner Stadt Anzeiger reported.

Read more: The Middle East's complex Kurdish landscape

They had gathered at what was ostensibly a cultural festival organized by the Democratic Social Center for Kurds in Germany.

In Cologne last November, a demonstration was held in support of detained PKK leader Ocalan and against the security clampdown in Turkey following the July 2016 failed coup.

"We are protesting and celebrating at the same time - that is our culture," attendee Rifat Arslan told the paper, after traveling there from Frankfurt with his family. "We demand a recognized and free Kurdistan and want the release of our leader Ocalan," he was quoted as saying.

The PKK is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey, Germany and the European Union.

Turkey accused Germany of not doing enough to stop PKK activities.

"The double standard approach Germany has been following with regards to the global fight against terrorism is worrying. We call on Germany to show a principled stance against all kinds of terror," the ministry said in the statement.

Read more: Supporters of independent Kurdistan seek EU backing

On September 3, about 25,000 Kurdish supporters demonstrated in Cologne against Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, where they also carried posters of Ocalan.

aw/jm (dpa, Reuters)</s>Turkey summoned the German ambassador to Ankara on Saturday to voice concern over what it said was a Kurdish militant rally in Cologne, the foreign ministry said.

ANKARA: Turkey summoned the German ambassador to Ankara on Saturday to voice concern over what it said was a Kurdish militant rally in Cologne, the foreign ministry said.

"We condemn the organisation of a rally in the German city of Cologne by the extensions of the PKK terrorist organisations, and the allowing of terror propaganda. We have voiced our reaction in a strong manner to Germany's ambassador to Ankara, who was called to the ministry," it said.

The statement appeared to refer to a protest on Sept. 3 when some 25,000 Kurdish supporters demonstrated in Cologne against Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, some carrying posters of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States, and is banned in Germany.</s>ANKARA, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Turkey summoned the German ambassador to Ankara on Saturday to voice concern over what it said was a Kurdish militant rally in Cologne, the foreign ministry said.

"We condemn the organisation of a rally in the German city of Cologne by the extensions of the PKK terrorist organisations, and the allowing of terror propaganda. We have voiced our reaction in a strong manner to Germany's ambassador to Ankara, who was called to the ministry," it said.

The statement appeared to refer to a protest on Sept. 3 when some 25,000 Kurdish supporters demonstrated in Cologne against Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, some carrying posters of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States, and is banned in Germany. (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)</s>Turkey’s foreign ministry has summoned Germany’s ambassador in Ankara to protest the country for allowing “terror propaganda” by Kurdish militants.

The ministry said late Saturday that a festival in Cologne used “symbols” of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK, including pictures of the group’s leader Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned in Turkey.

The PKK, considered a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies, has been waging a three-decade-long insurgency against the Turkish state. Hostilities between Turkey and Kurdish militants resumed in 2015 after a fragile ceasefire collapsed.

The ministry condemned that permission was given for the festival. The statement said Germany had “a double standard in combatting terror.”

Turkey has repeatedly accused Germany of harboring the PKK and relations have soured in the past year.</s>Thanks for having us yesterday. It was an absolute dream for us to see Cologne play in London. Let’s be clear from the outset: the fact that some idiotic fans tried to force their way into the stadium was a terrible idea that pretty much all Cologne fans strongly condemn. But please, the behaviour of 50-odd Cologne fans should not cloud the picture of the other 20,000, who had a peaceful party. I will try to tell you why things happened the way they happened on Thursday.

Twenty-five years. It has been 25 years since Cologne played in an international competition. Since then, we have been relegated five times, nearly went bankrupt, made a sponsorship deal with a non-existent company from Cyprus … And then, there was 20 May and the last fixture of last season. Grown men cried like babies when our Japanese striker Yuya Osako scored the second goal against Mainz which finally secured Cologne’s spot in the Europa League. The next important date was 25 August when the draw for the group stage took place. Who did we draw? Only Arsenal away, at the Emirates, against a side that normally plays in the Champions League!

Moreover, London is not too far away from Cologne and therefore it was immediately very clear that anyone who could would make the trip to the English capital. Of course, there had been disappointment because Cologne were allocated only 2,900 tickets – the club have nearly 100,000 members and 20,000 wanted to be in attendance.

The club made a fair decision to secure tickets for the people who have been members for more than 20 years – and of course for those who travelled to all the away games over the past years, even in 2.Bundesliga and places such as Aue, Sandhausen and Heidenheim. Even during those dark days, thousands of Cologne fans travelled, which shows the extreme love and passion they have for the club.

So it was not actually a big surprise to see that nearly 20,000 Cologne fans gathered in Highbury for the so-called “Fan March” to the stadium. It was absolutely fantastic to see so many Cologne fans partying and drinking peacefully in a foreign city – you do have to remember that it was the biggest game of the past 25 years for us.

I think that local authorities could have cooperated better with people who actually knew what was going to happen. “You do not care if you don’t have a ticket, you just go to London,” – that’s what everybody said. People were ready to spend a lot of money for tickets and apparently some touts were ready to profit. It would therefore have been a good idea to check who really had a ticket beforehand – that could have prevented some of the incidents before the game with some fans trying to get in even though they did not have a ticket. So a better consultation and information policy between the police, Arsenal, Cologne and the fans would have made the whole thing a lot smoother. It was foreseeable that more than 2,900 Cologne fans would make the trip – a bigger allocation would have been the best solution here. In total, the whole of London seemed to be surprised and that is a bit naive.

There were naturally moments that were rather intense but my experience was that the Cologne ultras, the “normal” Cologne fans and the police acted commendably, in a very de-escalating manner. At one point a police officer, for example, took out her mobile to show that the official Cologne Twitter account had announced that the game would start later. That, of course, eased the pressure.

Subsequently, everything that happened after these incidents was completely peaceful – and normal. Even outside of the stadium and during the time people had to wait to get in, Cologne chants were all over the place. When the gates were finally opened, Cologne fans happily went in – and crowded at least one quarter of the stadium. For us, as German fans, it was bizarre to see that stewards did not carry out a full body search as they do in Germany. They just waved us through.

On the flipside, we are not used to being asked to sit down in a stadium – but then that did not last long either. A couple of minutes into the game, the steward just said: “Fuck it, let them sing and stand.” They even laughed when we started to sing “You only sing when you’re winning” after Arsenal equalised.

In general, the way Cologne supporters expressed their intense love for the club was absolutely outstanding and some Arsenal fans said they had never experienced such an atmosphere before. For Cologne fans, it was the best night of our lives – and we’d like to thank the police, Arsenal stewards and supporters, and everyone in London for allowing us to enjoy it.

Arne Steinberg is the managing editor of the FC Cologne fanzine effzeh.com</s>Cologne cathedral is seen with the flooded river Rhine in Cologne, January 9, 2011. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender

BERLIN (Reuters) - One of Germany’s most famous landmarks, Cologne Cathedral, will be plunged into darkness on Monday evening in protest at a march by a growing grass-roots anti-Muslim movement through the western German city, cathedral authorities said.

The rise of the group, Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West (PEGIDA), has shaken Germany’s political establishment, prompting Chancellor Angela Merkel to say in her New Year address that its leaders were racists full of hatred and citizens should beware being used.

PEGIDA’s last weekly rally in the eastern city of Dresden attracted some 17,000 people, and the movement plans further marches in other cities, including through the center of Cologne on Monday night with a rally by the cathedral.

“PEGIDA is made up of an astonishingly broad mix of people, ranging from those in the middle of society to racists and the extreme right-wing,” Cathedral Dean Norbert Feldhoff told Reuters.

“By switching off the floodlighting we want to make those on the march stop and think. It is a challenge: consider who you are marching alongside.”

Dresden’s famous Semperoper opera house also extinguished its lights in protest during the last PEGIDA march in the city.

An opinion poll on Thursday found one German in eight would join an anti-Muslim march if PEGIDA organized one in their home town. Many people are concerned about the numbers of asylum seekers entering Germany, which surged to about 200,000 in 2014, four times the number in 2012. Net immigration has also hit a two-decade high.

Anti-immigration parties, capitalizing on voters’ disenchantment with economic austerity, have surged in popularity in a number of European countries, including France, Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands.</s>Berlin, Sep 16 (IANS) German football club Cologne has announced that defender Jonas Hector will be out of action with an ankle injury until further notice.

Cologne will be without the 27-year-old Germany international as he tore ligaments in his right ankle during Thursday's UEFA Europa League encounter against Arsenal in London, the Bundesliga club announced on Friday, reports Xinhua news agency.

"I am of course very, very sorry for Jonas. I wish him a speedy recovery," Cologne's head coach Peter Stoeger said.

Hector will be sidelined for an unforeseeable time and definitely miss the Bundesliga encounter against Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Cologne still wait for their first win in Germany's top flight football competition. They sit on the last place of the Bundesliga standings with zero points.</s>The Arsenal Independent Supporters' Association has condemned the behaviour of "yobbish" Cologne fans who descended on the Europa League match at the Emirates Stadium.

The Group H opener was delayed by an hour as many away supporters without tickets looked to gain entry to the ground, with Arsenal eventually running out 3-1 winners.

The visitors were issued with 3,000 tickets but around 20,000 Cologne fans are believed to have made the journey to London.

UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against both clubs. Cologne face charges involving crowd disturbances, setting off fireworks, throwing of objects and acts of damage by their fans, while Arsenal are under investigation for having "stairways blocked" in the away supporter section.

There were clearly thousands of away supporters sat among Arsenal fans, causing a security risk.

Five arrests were made over the course of the evening and Arsenal issued a statement on Friday insisting the safety of supporters was the main concern at the time. Arsenal promised a "full review" would be undertaken to discover how the events were able to occur.

Lois Langton, chair of AISA, said in a statement released to Press Association Sport that the "yobbish abandon" of some Cologne supporters must not go unpunished.

"The behaviour of a number of Cologne supporters yesterday was a dangerous throwback to a bygone era," she said.

"It is only right that charges have been swiftly brought and UEFA must sanction Cologne in the way that it doubtless would had an English club's supporters behaved in such a disgraceful manner.

"Whilst Arsenal also face charges with serious questions needing to be answered, including how so many Cologne supporters were able to infiltrate the home end, the fact of the matter is that it was the Cologne supporters who behaved with yobbish abandon; there can be no excuses made for those supporters who caused trouble."

Langton also praised home fans for avoiding confrontations with those Cologne fans seated in home sections - particularly as they celebrated Jhon Cordoba's opening strike.

"It's to the credit of Arsenal supporters not to have become engaged," she added.

Former Germany international Lukas Podolski came through the ranks at Cologne before spending three years at the Emirates Stadium with Arsenal.

He took to Twitter to defend the behaviour of the vast majority of travelling supporters.

"Because of 50 people everything is made bad. Laughable! The mood in the stadium was great," he wrote.

"Nobody's talking about that, and the #effzeh (Cologne) also played well! Cologne shouldn't need to hide or be ashamed that was a really great atmosphere more than the Champions League !!!"

When it was put to him by a German television presenter that 50 trouble-makers was 50 too many, Podolski replied: "50 out of 20,000? Every Oktoberfest or other event is worse. Where is the outcry then?"

The presenter, Florian Konig, then re-stated that the problem was the 50 causing trouble and not the reporting of it.

Podolski said: "Then please read the reports. Always looking for the needle in the haystack. Highlight the performance and the fantastic atmosphere in the foreground."</s>LONDON, United Kingdom, Sep 14 – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger revealed he was contemplating a re-arranged fixture after the Gunners beat Cologne 3-1 in a Europa League opener marred by crowd trouble at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday.

The Group H fixture kicked off an hour late following chaotic scenes inside and outside north London club Arsenal’s home ground.

Thousands of ticketless supporters of German club Cologne arrived at the Emirates, with kick-off delayed by an hour in the interests of “crowd safety”.

Police, forced into deploying extra officers, made five arrests after dealing with “disorder” at the Emirates as Cologne fans occupied home sections of the ground, with an estimated 20,000 supporters having travelled from Germany despite there only being 3,000 away tickets.

Arsenal fell behind early on to a brilliant long-range strike from Jhon Cordoba before bouncing back in the second half, substitute Sead Kolasinac equalising before goals from Alexis Sanchez and Hector Bellerin saw the Gunners to victory.

Afterwards Wenger said he was getting ready for the game to be postponed but was uncertain if the delayed kick-off was to blame for the Gunners’ poor start.

“It’s difficult to say,” he said. “It was similar for Cologne but we had some problems to get off, to start, yes. I don’t know, was it mental?

“We waited patiently in our dressing room but what was difficult for me was I had all kind of plans to think about at some stage.”

Wenger added: “I had to think if we play tomorrow at what time do we want to play, do we play next week but they had the Bundesliga again midweek and we had a League Cup game midweek as well.

“But in the end at some stage I thought they would not play the game, because I can’t see the police taking any risk,” he explained.

“We live in a society of 100 percent security and I thought they would never take a gamble to play this game when I saw the images around the stadium.

“But I must say our supporters dealt well with the situation as well and there was no aggravation.”

Wenger said Cologne fans had been “very clever” to get into areas reserved for home supporters.

“I don’t know how they managed to infiltrate our fans and get everywhere but they did that very well. I don’t know if they went through Arsenal membership, on the internet… they did very well.”

One social media post appeared to indicate scuffles inside the ground, with Richard Conway, a BBC sports news correspondent, tweeting: “Koln (Cologne) fans fighting with stewards inside Emirates stadium. Group arrived in home end and fought their way into away section.”

Cologne coach Peter Stoeger refused to be questioned on the actions of the club’s supporters: “I have no comment about the fans,” he said.

“I’m the coach, my job is the team, my job is football not the fans,” the Austrian added.

Asked on the eve of the match if he had a message for the thousands of travelling Cologne fans, Stoeger replied: “Enjoy the pubs!”

Cologne are currently bottom of the Bundesliga table, having lost all three of their opening games in this season’s German top flight.

But they qualified for the Europa League after finishing fifth last term.</s>Arsenal is to launch an investigation into how thousands of Cologne supporters were able to infiltrate home sections of the Emirates Stadium — sparking a riot police response.

The club's European campaign kicked-off amid chaos after thousands of Cologne supporters forced play to be delayed by an hour.

The visitors were issued 3,000 tickets, however, around 20,000 Cologne fans are thought to have journeyed to London to support their team's first return to European football in 25 years.

A fan known only as Marcel told the Evening Standard: 'All these fans have known is relegation after relegation.'

It is believed Cologne fans donned Arsenal shirts, scarves — and even changed their phone backgrounds to the Arsenal crest — in order to dupe security and access the grounds.

In a statement, Arsenal said: 'We worked in full consultation with police and UEFA officials on the night and in advance of the game and had taken extensive steps in advance to prevent tickets being sold to visiting supporters.

'This included a number of measures including ensuring no tickets were sold via general sale and that no red memberships purchased after the draw were able to be used to get tickets in the home end for this match.

'We also worked with our colleagues at Cologne to stop supporters travelling without match tickets.

'The 3,000 tickets issued to Cologne fans was in line with competition rules but it is clear many more visiting fans arrived, causing significant congestion and disturbance outside the stadium before kick-off.

'Many tickets were sold through touts and this is very disappointing.

'We have launched a full review into the circumstances surrounding the game and will ensure any lessons that can be learned are used in the future.'

Five people in all were arrested throughout the course of the evening.

There were reports of anti-social behaviour, including supporters urinating in the streets. One photograph on social media showed a man with blood pouring from a head wound.

ITV political editor Robert Peston reported Nazi salutes and 'peeing on doorsteps' by Cologne fans amid 'chaos at Arsenal'. Witnesses said stadium seats were vandalised.

For a time there were fears the match would be called off, as police and stewards outside the ground struggled to get a grip on the boisterous away following.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was engrossed in pre-match discussions about when the match might be rescheduled.

'We waited patiently,' he said. 'At one stage I thought we will not play. I couldn't see the police taking any risk. We live in a society of 100 per cent security. I thought they would not take a gamble when we saw the scenes around the stadium. Our supporters dealt well with the situation.

'What was difficult for me were all plans to think about. Do we play tomorrow? What time? Or next week, but they had a Bundesliga game and we had a League Cup game, so do we move that to Tuesday and play on Thursday? All kinds of things. If nothing now happens after the game then yes, it was the right decision to play.'

The Metropolitan Police told Sportsmail at 9.40pm that four people had been arrested on suspicion of public order offences.

Once the game began, Cologne fans dominated the lower tier of Arsenal's Clock End and pockets of them appeared all over the stadium. Red flares were lit and, when Cologne took the lead through Jhon Cordoba's wonder strike, the supporters went wild. They only settled when riot police lined up behind the goal.

Met Police had earlier released a statement saying: 'Officers are dealing with disorder at the Emirates Stadium. A policing plan is in place for the game. Additional officers have been deployed.'

Initially there were only 110 officers designated for duty at the game, but more were drafted in as kick-off loomed and the problems intensified. Groups of Germans stormed past the outer cordon, where tickets were being checked, and some tried to force their way through the stadium gates.

The Emirates was put into lockdown and the match was delayed by an hour, with kick-off rescheduled for 9.05pm.

Security meetings were held as safety experts debated whether the match could go ahead. There was a strong argument to call off the game. Equally, it was argued, it would be dangerous to turn the fans back into London without having seen the game. Turnstiles were closed and fans stacked up on the generous concourse around the ground. At a less modern venue, the chaos could have been far worse.

Police riot vans and dog units poured into the area and seized control, blocking off key routes to the ground including the bridge across the railway tracks from Drayton Park station.

The vast majority waited in good spirits in the rain, but it was clear at every entrance — those intended for home fans and others for away fans — that there were hundreds of Cologne supporters, dressed in colours and singing loudly.

The turnstiles opened at 7.50pm, 15 minutes before the game was originally scheduled to start. However, stewards and police still had segregation issues because Cologne fans with tickets for the Arsenal seats tried to make their way into the away end.

When the dust settles, Arsenal and the FA could receive calls from UEFA because Article 15.1 of their safety regulations states the governing body will hold the home team responsible for the allocation of the 'home' tickets, so many of which found their way into the hands of Cologne supporters.

Wenger accused the German fans of spoiling their big night, back in European football for the first time since the Nineties.

'Cologne have not played in Europe for 25 years. On the first night they are back they spoil their night,' said the Frenchman, who urged UEFA to investigate.

'They were very clever. I don't know how they managed to infiltrate our fans. Did they go through membership or the internet, I don't know but they did it very well.

'Were the problems from people with no tickets? I don't know. Certainly there were more people here than they had tickets.'

Cologne boss Peter Stoger refused to comment on anything but the match, adding: 'My job is football and not the fans.'

Arsenal had been made aware of the likely invasion and said they had been in regular dialogue with the Bundesliga team to plan for the fixture. They gave the visitors 3,000 tickets and issued warnings about segregation.

The London club closed down sales to members who had joined after the Europa League draw and warned the Germans none of them would be allowed into the home end, even if they had tickets. Earlier, touts had been selling on the streets to Cologne supporters and later it was clear that hundreds were among the Arsenal fans.

In Germany, supporters are not separated so stringently as in England. Many were at a loss as to why they were not allowed in.

Security chiefs scoured TV monitors as the ground started to fill up and at 8.30pm came confirmation that the match would go ahead.Eventually the players emerged.

'Welcome to the home of football, welcome to the home of Arsenal Football Club,' said the man on the public address system. But it felt like the home of Cologne.

In the end, the visitors from Germany served up one of the noisiest and most passionate nights witnessed at the Emirates Stadium.
Turkey summons the ambassador of Germany after at least 10,000 people rally in Cologne in support of the referendum.