ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The main opposition group in northeast Syria (Rojava) on Sunday said a group of armed people affiliated with the ruling party attacked their members who were celebrating Kurdistan Flag Day in Hasaka province.
The Kurdish National Council (ENKS) said in a statement that its members were marking Kurdistan Flag Day in Hasaka’s Derik (al-Malikiyah) city when “an armed group affiliated with the Democratic Union Party (PYD)” attacked them.
“This group broke the loudspeaker and threw stones at the revelers, injuring some. Bullets were also fired to intimidate them and spread panic among them,” read the statement from ENKS - an umbrella group of opposition parties.
In a video submitted to Rudaw, an unidentified man can be seen kicking a loudspeaker, breaking its stand. Other footage submitted by ENKS purportedly shows one of their members lying down on the ground with his face bleeding and another person throwing stones.
ENKS events and offices in Rojava have been attacked many times, mostly blamed on groups affiliated with the ruling PYD. No one has ever been arrested.
“We strongly condemn these intimidating practices against Kurdish citizens and the Council by PYD militants, especially against those celebrating Kurdistan Flag Day,” said ENKS, calling on the international community, especially the United States, to prevent such assaults.
The PYD has not commented.
The PYD’s armed wing, People’s Protection Units (YPG), is the backbone of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The ENKS and the PYD have been at odds for several years, with the opposition group accusing the ruling party of being unwilling to share power and detaining their members.
In 2016, Rojava authorities banned ENKS activities in the region, closing about 40 of their offices and jailing hundreds of ENKS members who were later released. The crackdown was launched after ENKS refused to follow the ruling authorities’ procedures on opening political offices.
After talks, held at the initiative of SDF commander Mazloum Abdi, ENKS reopened their offices in early 2020.
December 17 was declared Kurdistan Flag Day by the Kurdistan Region’s parliament in 2004. The flag - a yellow sun on red, white, and green stripes - is the official flag of the Kurdistan Region and a symbol of Kurdish resistance and nationalism beyond its borders.
The Rojava flag is a tricolour - yellow, red, and green.
