Turkey: Islamist group marches in Hamburg for release of their leader

W/S Supporters of Islamist Furkan movement marching for release of imprisoned leader Alparslan Kuytul, Hamburg
M/S Protesters holding signs: "Free Alparslan Kuytul"; "Alparslan Kuytul is innocent!"
W/S Protesters marching
W/S Protesters marching
M/S Protesters marching
C/U Protester holding sign (German): "Against the imprisonment of innocent people"
M/S Protester marching with banner (German): "Freedom for Alparslan Kuytul"
W/S Protesters marching
M/S Police officers next to counter-demonstrators with LGBT flags
M/S Protesters marching
W/S Protesters marching
M/S Protesters marching
M/S Police by counter-demonstrators
C/U Counter-demonstrator holding up sign depicting Kaaba covered with LGBT flag
W/S Police
M/S Police and protesters
SOT, Abdullah, Furkan community leader (German): "We have organised a demonstration here today concerning the release of Alparslan Kuytul, the Islamic scholar in Turkey, who lives in Adana. He was lost and thrown into prison [inaudible]. And so because he expressed his opinion in Turkey, he criticised some things in Turkish politics and that is why he was then imprisoned, because his opinion was too uncomfortable for the government. And that is why he has been in prison for nineteen months. Beforehand, newspapers wrongly claimed that we are demonstrating for the caliphate and Sharia. That is wrong information. Maybe deliberately false information. We did not go on the street for Sharia or the caliphate, but we went on the street for the release of Alpartan Kuytul, to demonstrate and address this injustice."
W/S Protesters
M/S Protester holding sign (German): "Stand for innocent Muslims"
SOT, Furkan community leader (German): "We are standing here today to make it clear that we wholly reject an injustice against an innocent person. It cannot be that someone was imprisoned for nineteen months and is being punished."
W/S Protesters
M/S Protesters holding banner (German): "Freedom for Alparslan Kuytul"
M/S Police officers
W/S Protesters and police
SCRIPT
Around 200 supporters of the Islamist Furkan movement marched in Hamburg on Saturday to demand the release of their leader Alparslan Kuytul who has been imprisoned in Turkey for a year and a half.
Footage shows men and women protesting separately, while holding up banners reading "Alparslan Kuytul is innocent!" and "Freedom for Alparslan Kuytul."
Counter-demonstrators waving LGBT flags were also present. Police officers were standing between them and the Furkan movement supporters.
"We did not go on the street for Sharia or the caliphate, but we went on the street for the release of Alpartan Kuytul," insisted Abdullah, a leader within the local Furkan community.
"Newspapers wrongly claimed that we are demonstrating for the caliphate and Sharia. That is wrong information. Maybe deliberately false information."
Prior to the demonstration, the Hamburg Office for Protection of the Constitution warned about the demonstration, arguing that 'extremists' are behind it. The Furkan community has reportedly been under surveillance by authorities since 2016.
Alparslan Kuytul was first arrested in 2018 and a new case was opened against him in 2019, demanding up to 20 years of imprisonment on charges of support to terrorist organisations FETO [Fethullah Gulen Movement] and PKK [Kurdistan Workers' Party].