Nicosia, Cyprus. Members of the Kurdish community in Cyprus marched through central Nicosia on Thursday as parliament prepared to vote on a resolution concerning Syria’s Kurdish-held Rojava region. Demonstrators said they were protesting ongoing attacks in northeastern Syria and criticising what they called international and Cypriot inaction.
March and messages
Carrying flags of a unified Kurdistan, protesters said forces linked to the Damascus regime were conducting ongoing attacks in northeastern Syria. They also criticised what they described as the “silent complicity of the international community and Cyprus.”
Chanting slogans including “Freedom to Rojava,” “Woman, life, freedom” and “Kurdistan is one,” demonstrators marched to the Ledra Palace checkpoint and delivered a resolution to United Nations representatives. The resolution referred to alleged war crimes committed by the Al-Shara regime in Syria.
Chants also targeted Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, described as a former Al Nusra emir known by his nom-de-guerre Jolani, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, both of whom protesters labelled “terrorists.”
Speeches and political attendance
At Eleftheria Square, Yassin Tarbous, head of the Democratic Union Party in Cyprus, told the crowd that the situation in northeastern Syria was deteriorating.
“What is happening in Rojava is an attack on coexistence, democracy and the rights of women and minorities,” he said.
Representatives of Cypriot political parties attended the demonstration, including Akel MP Giorgos Koukoumas and Ecologists spokeswoman Elena Lympouri, who expressed solidarity with the Kurdish cause.
Parliamentary vote and public letter
The protest coincided with a scheduled vote in the House of Representatives on a resolution addressing the situation of the Kurds in Rojava, amid fighting and instability in the region.
Ahead of the vote on the resolution submitted by the Movement of Ecologists–Citizens’ Cooperation, a public letter was issued expressing citizen support and solidarity with the Kurdish population in northeastern Syria. The letter cited concerns about continuing attacks, humanitarian violations and destabilisation, and called on MPs to consider these views when voting.
What do you think Cyprus’ House of Representatives should prioritise when voting on the Rojava resolution?