According to local police, nearly 2,400 people took part in a protest in Brussels against the Islamic State (IS), on Saturday afternoon. They were calling for international solidarity with Kurdish fighters, which, in their opinion, is the only democratic option in the Middle East. Similar events were held in various cities around the world on the same day. The protesters departed from Brussels Nord train station around 2:00 pm, and then marched towards the Schuman Roundabout. They highlighted the case of the Syrian city of Kobane, located in Kurdish territory, on the Turkish border, which has been weathering massive onslaughts by IS jihadists since last September.
"We call on the international community to support the Kurdish freedom struggle in Rojava (or Syrian Kurdistan), made up of three cantons, one of which is Kobane. Kurdish, Arabic, Assyrian, Chaldean, Armenian and Turkmen officials declared a de facto government of democratic autonomy in Rojava, in November 2013", said PeterPerrem, supporter of the Kurdish National Congress (KNK), that initiated the event.
"The Rojava project offers a democratic, multi-ethnic and multi-religious approach that’s truly unique in the Middle East. It’s the very opposite of that imposed by the IS. Rojava is organized into three cantons, governed by a system of popular assemblies. The principles it defends are mainly: self-management, women’s empowerment, anti-capitalism and political ecology", he added.
(Source: Belga)
