Syrians tell Cologne: 'We're against sexism'

Three months ago, he was still in Syria. But on Saturday afternoon (16 January), the young man who told this website his name is Derar, and that he is 19 years old, was standing outside Cologne's central train station.

He was holding up a sign that said that Syrians “are against sexism”.

Derar didn't quite master English or German, but he was able to explain that he had been studying for two years in Syria to become an engineer, until he was drafted to join the army. He decided it...