People in Kobanê take to the streets to protest Turkey and Hewlêr governments

A mass protest against the military aggression carried out by Turkey in South Kurdistan was held in Kobanê. The protest was also directed against the political forces in Hewlêr.

After the large demonstration in Qamishlo, a “March for Dignity” was held in Kobanê to protest against Turkey's military aggression in South Kurdistan. Thousands of people from the Euphrates region in Rojava / Northern Syria gathered at the square of the Free Woman to march through the city.

Civil society organizations and political parties that are active in the autonomous region of northern and eastern Syria promoted a demonstration called “March of Dignity: Against Occupation and Treason”. The anger of the people is not only directed against the Turkish government, which, based on its claims to territorial power, is launching attacks on regions beyond its own national borders that are contrary to international law. The indignation of many Kurds is also against the KDP as the dominant force of the regional government in South Kurdistan. Since the end of April, the regions of Avashin, Zap and Metina have been attacked by the Turkish army as part of a large-scale occupation operation. PKDP troops support the Turkish military actions.

The first to speak was Mihemed Şahin, co-chair of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration of the Euphrates Region. The politician said that the Kurdish people had been resisting displacement, occupation and genocide for centuries.

Today, however, the "excessive territorial expansionism of the Turkish Republic" has reached an unprecedented level. It is the responsibility of all peoples in the region to “position themselves against the ambitions in Ankara and to provide assistance to those who stand up for the achievements of the Kurds”.

Şahin added: “If the guerrillas of the Kurdish liberation movement would not resist the Turkish occupation, the consequences would not only be devastating for Kurdish society. Neo-Ottoman expansionism targets all the peoples of the Near and Middle East. Therefore, it is important that we get united. Only in this way can the region breathe a sigh of relief and pave the way to peace."

The co-chairman of Girê Spî Council in exile, Hamid al-Abid, condemned the silence of the international community about the Turkish military actions in South Kurdistan. “Likewise, we protest against the fact that nothing is done about the occupation of the northern Syrian cities of Afrin, Jarablus, Serêkaniyê and Girê Spi which are occupied by Turkey and its mercenary allies.”