The European Democratic Kurdish Society Confederation (KCDK-E) reacted strongly to reports that Ahmed al-Sharaa (al-Jolani), described as Syria’s so-called interim president, is expected to arrive in Berlin on 19 January 2026 at Germany’s invitation. KCDK-E said that any meeting between Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz and al-Jolani would be “a disgrace and a crime,” and demanded that the meeting be cancelled immediately.
In a written statement, KCDK-E said that hosting al-Jolani in Germany amounts to a “collective loss of reason,” warning that contacts pursued by European Union member states with al-Jolani serve to legitimize structures responsible for war and massacres. The statement described al-Jolani as “barbaric, a killer, and a terrorist,” and noted that the planned meeting in Berlin has been presented as being linked to migration policy and deportations to Syria.
The KCDK-E said: “It has been announced that al-Jolani, the so-called interim president of Syria and an ISIS-linked figure, will arrive in Berlin on 19 January 2026 as a guest of the German state. He is expected to meet with Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz to discuss the so-called refugee policy and deportations to Syria.
The various meetings held by European Union countries with al-Jolani represent a collective loss of reason. Those who intend to host this barbaric figure in Berlin must know that they are dealing with the terrorist leader of a gang responsible for war and massacres. The displacement and forced migration of hundreds of thousands of people from their homelands are the direct result of these gangs.”
The statement added: “European states are responding to migration and ongoing humanitarian tragedies in silence, acting solely in line with their own interests. For the sake of these interests, they are prepared to sit at the negotiating table with anyone they know to be responsible for massacres.
Europe and Germany must know that just one week ago, in full view of the entire world, a massacre was carried out against civilians in Aleppo. Tens of thousands of civilians were forcibly displaced from their homes. The world witnessed the brutal killing of women and children by the savage gangs loyal to al-Jolani. These barbaric groups carried out ethnic cleansing across all neighborhoods of Aleppo where Kurds live in large numbers.”
The statement underlined that “Germany, which is preparing to welcome the ISIS-linked al-Jolani, knows very well that these gangs carried out massacres against Druze communities in Syria in 2025. The world has seen the images and documentation of these crimes. At the same time, massacres and abductions targeting Alevi communities in Syria have taken place.
These gangs, driven by a monolithic and barbaric mindset, pose the primary threat to the peoples of Syria and the Middle East, and the Turkish state openly supports these barbaric forces. ISIS gangs whose brutality has been fully documented have been granted legitimacy in Syria. It must be clearly understood that the meeting scheduled for 19 January in Germany would amount to an official meeting between the German government and an ISIS leader.”
The statement continued: “All peoples of Syria, regardless of ethnicity, belief, or political identity, are facing a serious danger of massacre and genocide. If a firm stance is not taken against this brutality, if such visits are not cancelled, this will amount to complicity in crime. Al-Jolani is not someone who can prevent asylum-seeking and migration; on the contrary, through the gangs and mentality he represents, he stands at the forefront of those who fuel displacement and forced migration.
Any meeting that Federal Chancellor Merz holds with al-Jolani constitutes a disgrace and a crime in the face of the massacres carried out against Kurds, Druze, Alawites, and all other minorities. Al-Jolani and his rule represent a barbaric gang structure that openly violates and disregards international law.
As KCDK-E, we demand that this meeting be withdrawn immediately and that Chancellor Merz cancel the visit. On this basis, we call on the democratic public, democratic institutions, and everyone who stands for humanity to take a clear position and to protest, particularly in Berlin and Bonn, but everywhere. On the same day, we call for protest actions to be held in front of Syrian and German consulates across all countries.”