Thousands take part in pro-Kurdish protests across Germany

Several thousand people took part in pro-Kurdish demonstrations across Germany on Wednesday evening, police said, following clashes between Kurdish-led forces and government troops in Syria.

Police said in Hamburg around 2,000 people rallied in support of protecting Kurds in northern and eastern Syria.

In Berlin, demonstrators marched from the Brandenburg Gate towards Potsdamer Platz, with police estimating the crowd at around 1,000.

In Hanover, reporters on the scene put the number of participants at about 2,000, while police estimated around 800. Isolated incidents involving pyrotechnics were reported, a police spokesperson said.

In Bremen, police estimated that about 2,300 people took part, some of whom had covered their faces, according to a dpa reporter.

Pro-Kurdish demonstrations were also held in the cities of Frankfurt, Kassel and Fulda. A large number of police officers were deployed to monitor the protests.

Clashes had broken out at pro-Kurdish demonstrations in Stuttgart and Hanover on Tuesday, during which police officers were attacked with bottles and pyrotechnics.

Renewed fighting broke out early this year in Syria between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - a key US ally in the fight against extremist militia organization Islamic State - and government troops.

The fighting has centred on power, influence and territorial control in northern and eastern Syria.

Despite an officially declared ceasefire, attacks on Kurdish-controlled areas have continued, critics said.