QAMIŞLO – Yesterday, thousands of people demonstrated in Qamishlo to protest the ongoing occupation attacks on the Rojava region and north-eastern Syria on the first anniversary of the attacks on the Sînaa prison in Hesekê and the anniversary of the occupation of Afrin.
Under the motto “With the resistant spirit of the fallen of Hesekê prison, we will destroy the occupiers”, thousands of people from Qamişlo Canton (the surrounding towns such as Til Hemîs, Til Birak, Amûdê, Tirbespiyê) came together in the city of Qamişlo to speak with a large protest march to remind the fallen of the resistance of Hesekê and to show attitude against the occupation in Afrin and the occupying attacks of the Turkish occupying state and its gangs, such as the IS.
The demonstration was attended by members of TEV-DEM, the revolutionary youth movement Tevgera Ciwanên Şoreşger ên Sûriyeyê, members of the PYD (Partiya Yekitiya Demokratîk) and members of the women’s movement such as Kongra Star and the young women of Yekitiya Jinên Ciwan.
The demonstration started at Kreisvergkerh Sonî, in the east of the city, and continued through the streets of the city centre. The crowd continuously shouted slogans to greet the resistance of the SDF forces that took place a year ago, shouting “Bijî berxwedana Pêngava Gurzê Gelan” and “Bijî berxwedana Serdemê”.
The demonstrators carried pictures of Chairman Abdullah Öcalan, the fallen of Operation Gurzê Gelan and Berxwedana Serdemê and branches of olive trees to draw attention to the ongoing occupation of Afrin.
During a rally at the Şehîd Robar Qamişlo roundabout near the Art and Culture Center, Assembly Member of the Families of the Fallen Cewahir Osman gave a speech drawing attention to the struggle and resistance of the security forces and the military. She explained that these forces risked their lives to defend the achievements of north-eastern Syria from the gangs of ISIS and the occupying Turkish state and destroyed them in this region.
In addition, Cewahir Osman drew attention to the ongoing occupation attacks in the region and said: “Although a year has passed since the Sînaa prison in Hesekê was attacked, the attacks by the occupying Turkish state in the region continue. The occupying state targets local residents and supports the gangs in the region so that they attack us. This is how they want to break the will of society and implement their plans for the occupation.”
In the villages of Girkê Legê, Çilaxa, Dêrik and Til Koçer, actions were taken yesterday to commemorate the fallen of Operation Gurzê Gelan in Hesekê and to demonstrate against the ongoing occupation of Afrin and the occupier attacks.
In Hesekê yesterday, people gathered near Sînaa prison to commemorate the 121 Şehîds who risked their lives to defend Hesekê from IS gang attacks during Operation Gurzê Gelan a year ago. They also condemned the attacks by the occupying Turkish state on the region and the ongoing occupation in Afrin.
Speeches made it clear that the occupying Turkish state was behind these attacks and wanted to carry out a massacre of the population in Hesekê and north-east Syria. These plans were thwarted by the heroic resistance of the Security and Defense Forces. The member of the gathering of the families of the fallen in Hesekê Rojda Ehmed stated that thanks to the cooperation of the society in the region and the military forces, the plans of the occupying Turkish state were foiled and called for protecting the achievements of the Şehîds.
