The “Voting Rights for All” protest was held in the Kottbusser Tor Square in the Kreuzberg district, where the Turks live heavily, in the Germany’s capital city of Berlin. During the protest, the demonstrators stated that non-German citizens should also have the right to vote as a requirement of democracy. In the protest organized with the participation of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO), the demonstrators told that everyone should be able to vote at least in the regional elections at the state level. Also demonstrators said that “The right to vote is one of the basic principles for a democratic society” and that this requirement is missing in Germany. Stating that 10 million people across Germany and 700,000 people in Berlin didn’t vote because they are not German citizens, the protesters demanded that the promises made by politicians be kept.
“Unfortunately, politicians, governments and those in power don’t pay attention to our request. In the coalition agreement they signed in December 2021, politicians stated that they will take initiatives for the recognition of this right. But they haven’t taken any action in that direction so far. We also make a call to remind them of their responsibilities,” NGO member Garip Bali, who organized the protest, said in his statement.