Protests Grow in Syria’s Kurdish Towns (videos) UPDATED

by Alliance for Kurdish Rights

UPDATE: New videos added at the end of the post.

Despite attempts to pacify Kurdish protests by granting citizenship to most of Syria’s stateless Kurds, protesters have come out in several Kurdish towns yesterday (April 8). The peaceful protesters made clear in the protests signs that their demand is freedom, not simply being granted citizenship. The protesters expressed demands that are heard in other protests all across Syria, which are mainly and end to emergency law and more freedoms. Protests were reportedin the Kurdish towns of Amûdê, Serêkanî, Qamişlo, al-Darbasiyah and al-Hasakah.

A Kurdish leader Mohammad Ismail told Reuters that the granting of citizenship following a meeting between Kurdish tribal leaders and Assad helped fuel the protests in Kurdish towns. “The authorities are trying to reduce the Kurdish nation into a bunch of tribes. The response of the street is a resounding ‘no’,” said Ismail, pointing a slogan of the protests “tribes do not represent the Kurdish movement.”

Videos of protest from Amûdê, Serêkanî and Qamişlo

Protesters in Amûdê (Amouda) chant: “Allah, Syria, freedom – that’s it” (a take on the Baathist chant “Allah Syria, Assad – that’s it”), “freedom, freedom”, “the Syrian people are one, one, one”, and then “‘azadî, azadî, azadî” (freedom in Kurdish).

Another video from Amûdê. Protesters chant: “Buthaina Shaaban (prominent adviser to President Assad), the Syrian people will not be beaten”, “Allah, Syria, freedom – that’s it”, “freedom, freedom” (in Arabic and then in Kurdish), “we will sacrifice our blood and souls for Daraa”.

In Serêkanî (Ras al-Ain), protesters chant “Allah, Syria, freedom – that’s it”, “we will sacrifice our blood and souls for Daraa”, “freedom, freedom we want national unity”.

A video from Qamişlo (al-Qamishli) shows protesters chanting: “freedom, freedom”, “we will sacrifice our blood and souls for Daraa and Douma” (Dara suburb of Damascus where protesters were massacred last week). The narrator filming the video says that thousands have come out to the streets of Qamişlo.

Protesters in Qamişlo chant: “the Syrian people are one, one, one”, “freedom, freedom”, “Allah, Syria, freedom – that’s it”,

Protesters march with banners in Qamişlo, calling for freedom.

Protesters chant “Allah, Syria, freedom – that’s it” and “From Qamishli to Hauran, the Syrian people won’t be beaten”. Hauran is located in southwestern Syria whereas Qamişlo is located in the northeast.

Qamişlo protesters chant about the peaceful nature of their protest and their demand for freedom.

Protesters in Qamişlo marching with banners in Arabic and Kurdish chant “freedom, freedom”. One of the banners in Kurdish reads “freedom to the people of Syria” (Azadî Bo Gelê Sûrî).

Protests in Qamişlo chant “Buthaina Shaaban, the Syrian people will not be beaten”, and “from Qamishli to Houran, the Syrian people won’t be beaten.”

A protester in Qamişlo delivers a speech: “we are not terrorists so that they put for us a law to boycott terrorists. We are with the demands for freedom. We are with the demands for law. We are with the demands for constitutional reform. A constitution that takes into account all of Syria’s sects, and all its colors, we are not Arabs alone, or Kurds alone, or Assyrians alone. Syria is all of those groups. We are all therefore demanding constitutional reform.”

Qamişlo protesters chant “the people demands freedom, that’s it”.

Protesters in Qamişlo chant “azadî, azadî, azadî” (freedom in Kurdish)

Protesters in Qamişlo chant “freedom, freedom”.

This sign was later spray-painted with the words (in Arabic): “the space for change” and “the space for freedom”.

Carrying Syrian flags protesters in Qamişlo chant “Allah, Syria, freedom – that’s it”, “freedom, freedom we want national unity”.

Protesters march in Qamişlo and chant: “the people demand freedom, that’s it”.

Protesters in Qamişlo chant “the Syrian people are one, one, one” and carry signgs saying: “We don’t want citizenship, we want freedom”, “We are the sons of Qamishli, we are against corruption”, “the revolution’s Kurdish youth”.

Qamişlo protesters chant “we will sacrifice our blood and souls for Daraa.”

Protesters in Qamişlo chant “Allah, Syria, freedom – that’s it”, and “from Qamishli to Houran, the Syrian people cannot be beaten”.

Photos from Qamişlo

“Our demand is not citizenship. Our demands are freedom and democracy”.

In the heart the names of different Syrian cities where protests are taking place are listed “Qamishli, Latakia, Homs, Damascus, Daraa, Deir az-Zor”.

Right: “In which prison is my father???? Where is my father?!” Left: “Kurds and Arabs are brothers, anything other than this, we don’t allow”

“Long live the Arab Kurdish brothers”

“Giving me Back citizenship won’t end my pain”.

“No to emergency law, yes to constitutional reform”. The writing on the boy’s hands – one hand says “freedom” the other says “peaceful”

UPDATE: New videos from Qamişlo and Amûdê

Long video (over 13 minutes) from a protest in Qamişlo. Among the chants: “Allah, Syria, Freedom – that’s it”, “we will sacrifice our blood and souls for Daraa and Douma”, “Free Syria”, “Buthaina Shaaban, the Syrian people won’t be beaten”, “peaceful, peaceful”, “the Syrian people are one, one, one”, “freedom, freedom” as well as “azadî, azadî, azadî”, “from Qamishli to Houran, the Syrian people won’t be beaten”, “we will sacrifice our blood and souls for freedom”. The protesters carried a sign saying “on our way to free Syria” (in English) and “Ciwanên Serhildane” (youth revolution in Kurdish).

Protest in Amûdê yesterday. Protesters chant: “Freedom, freedom” and “the Syrian people are one”.

Protest in Qamişlo. Demonstrators chants: “freedom, freedom”, “Free Syria”, “peaceful, peaceful”, “we will sacrifice our blood and souls for Douma”, he who kills his own people is a traitor” and “the Syrian media is a traitor”.

Several videos from the Amûdê peaceful sit in. Protesters chant “the Syrian people are one”.

Amûdê protesters chant: “Freedom, freedom”.

Protesters march in Amûdê and chant: “freedom, freedom”, “Buthaina Shaaban, the Syrian people will not be beaten”, “the Syrian people is one, one, one”