Thousands of people gathered outside a hospital in Germany hours before the family of a 23 year-old woman decided to turn off her life support machine. <br /><br />Tugce Albayrak, a student of Turkish descent, was brutally beaten two weeks ago by three men in the car park of a fast food restaurant in Offenbach near Frankfurt. <br /><br />She had confronted the men, who were of Serbian descent, after responding to cries for help from two girls, aged 13 and 16 in the toilet area of the restaurant.<br /><br />“She showed great moral courage, stood up and helped, and I really hope that won’t be forgotten. It’s simply not ok for a guy to raise his hand against a girl, that’s the reason I’m here”, said Yakup Simseki, a member of a support group for Tugce. <br /><br />Tugce slipped into a vegetative state several days ago after suffering a brain haemorrhage. <br /><br />Up to a hundred thousand people have signed a petition calling for her to be awarded the Order of Merit. President Joachim Gauck said she deserves the respect and gratitude of Germans. <br /><br />An 18 year old man has been arrested in connection with her death.
