GERMAN authorities were accused of trampling over free speech today after they banned a pro-Kurdish publishing house seizing books promoting an ecological campaign in Syria.

Make Rojava Green Again

Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, from the anti-immigration Christian Social Union (CSU), ordered the closure of the Mesopotamia publishing house on February 12. The MIR Multimedia organisation was also closed down.

He claimed profits from the organisations were solely used to raise funds for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

“As the PKK is still active despite being banned in Germany, it is necessary to rein in the PKK and uphold our legal system,” Mr Seehofer said.

Around 200 copies of the book Make Rojava Green Again were due to be distributed by publishers but authorities confiscated them following a raid on the publishing house. Other publications on Kurdistan in a variety of languages were also seized.

Campaign group the International Commune, authors of the book, demanded the reopening of the publishing house today and said the ban directly affects the work of rebuilding the area in northern Syria after the defeat of Isis.

“The ban is an attempt to suppress the discourse of the establishment of self-administration in northern and eastern Syria and perspectives on solving the crisis in the Middle East. 

“The spreading of ideas of a gender liberated, ecological and democratic society will not be prevented by bans and censorship, because already today these ideas are a source of inspiration and hope for millions of people worldwide.”

It vowed to continue its work with even higher motivation and called for people to read Make Rojava Green Again, spreading the ideas it contains.

“The critique of a system which is every day enslaving billions of people and pushing for the destruction of natural resources remains legitimate and today is even more necessary than ever,” a statement read.