Despite the danger of further attacks, countless people took to the streets in the autonomous regions of northern and eastern Syria to protest against the "terrorist state of Turkey". Demonstrations took place in dozens of cities and towns.
Despite the danger of further attacks, countless people took to the streets in the autonomous regions of North and East Syria (AANES) to protest against the "terror state Turkey". The demonstrations took place in dozens of towns and communities, and in the self-governing areas of Aleppo, too, anger at the far-reaching airstrikes by the Turkish NATO army drove people onto the streets.
"This country is ours and we will defend it against the invaders," the protesters said in many places. The two largest demonstrations with thousands of participants were in Hesekê and Qamişlo. In the latter metropolis, a huge crowd gathered in front of the local cultural center. A demonstrator burned a Turkish flag, "Down with the criminal occupying state" was loudly chanted. In a speech, the co-chairman of the local branch of the Council of Members of the Rojava Revolution, Mahsûm Hesen, described the "terror from the air" as an "expression and continuation of the Ottoman mentality".
Other demonstrations took place in Til Temir, Dirbêsiyê, Şedadê, Hol, Tirbespiyê, Çilaxa, Girkê Legê, Til Berak, Til Koçer, Til Hemis, Raqqa and Tabqa, among others. In Raqqa, there was initially a larger elevator, in which hundreds of residents of the city as well as tribal representatives and representatives of the civil council took part. Youth movement activists who were also there later split from the march and headed to Tell Samin. There, young people marched to a Russian military base and condemned the opening of airspace over northern Syria for Turkish fighter bombers.
Demonstrations against the Turkish attacks on northern and eastern Syria were also held in Deir ez-Zor, and Şervan Derwiş, spokesman for the local military council, took part in a protest march in the city of Manbij. “Our message to the aggressor is clear: this country is ours. We will not allow the Turkish occupiers to commit genocide against our people. And we will avenge our fallen,” said Derwiş.
In the canton of Shehba, thousands of displaced people marched from Ehdas to Fafîn in a demonstration. "Afrîn must not repeat itself," said Bekir Elo, co-chair of the exile council of the shattered canton. In Aleppo, protests took place in the Kurdish districts of Şêxmeqsûd and Eşrefiyê.
