On the evening of May 18 at the Potsdam Square in Berlin one could see candles laid in a shape of the Crimean peninsula. People are gradually gathering around it. This is an unusual location for such demonstrations in the German capital, but the 80th anniversary of the genocide of Crimeans was decided to commemorate here.

Half an hour before the start of the demo, as many as four police minibuses drive into the square - thousands of Russians live in Berlin, provocations are quite possible.

Participants roll out large stretchers with inscriptions in German: “Deported in 1944 - today they are persecuted. Human rights for Crimean Tatars!" and “Stop the repression of the Crimeans!”

Among the smaller posters - the slogan “Armenian solidarity with the Crimean Tatars” catches the eye.

One of the participants, Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, delivers a speech. He quotes Crimeantatar political prisoner Nariman Dzhelyal:

“It all started with Crimea, and everything will end with Crimea.”

Loud “Glory to Ukraine!” resents one of the observers. He expresses his opinion in Russian:

“What have you organized here? Glory to Ukraine? Banderovtsy!” Under the stern gaze of the policeman, the Russian retreats.

Elvis Cholpuh takes the floor. The Crimean Tatar activist from Bavaria came to the German capital to initiate an appeal to the Bundestag for the deputies of the German parliament to recognize the deportation of 1944 as genocide and a crime against humanity.

The Ukrainian ambassador says off the record that there is still a lot of work to be done with German politicians on this issue.

The organizer of the action, Elnara Nuriieva-Letova, fully agrees with the diplomat. The Crimean Tatar has been living in Berlin for 5 years and sadly states: most Germans do not even know about the existence of Crimean Tatars. However, she assures that the trend is changing for the better. After the full-scale invasion, many new Ukrainian initiatives appeared, and German public figures began to work more on the topic of Crimea. The powerful speech of Elnara Letova at the demo we publish separately.

Traditionally, the mourning demo ends with the lighting of candles, symbolizing the memory of those who did not survive the Soviet genocide and the Russian occupation. There is Crimean Tatar music. Many participants have tears rolling down their faces.

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