THE Kurdish community in Belfast came together on Wednesday afternoon for a solidarity protest with those living in the under siege Rojava region in Syria.
It comes after fresh attacks on Kurdish civilians in Rojava by the Syrian government backed by Turkey.
A crowd of around 100 Kurds gathered at the International Wall on the Falls Road with chants including "Long live Rojava" and "Free Free Kurdistan".
It is part of a global demonstration worldwide by the Kurdish Women’s Movement in Europe (TJK-E) and the Congress of Democratic Kurdish Society in Europe (KCDK-E).
Speaking at the solidarity protest on Wednesday, Sedat Felekoglu said: "People of Belfast, a people who know occupation, resistance, and the fight for dignity. We speak to you not from politics, but from pain, from a land betrayed after paying in blood.
"Today, while governments stay silent, the Kurdish people face renewed genocide.
"The Syrian army, alongside ISIS remnants, with the backing of the Turkish state has unleashed terror on Rojava.
"Over 1,000 ISIS fighters have been released and re-armed. More than 150,000 people have been forcibly displaced.
"A democratic project built on women’s liberation, coexistence, and equality is under direct attack.
"Kobanê – the city that defeated ISIS when the world hesitated — is once again under siege and once again, its people resist.
"The European Union must do more than issue statements. It must condemn war crimes and investigate forced displacement, torture, sexual violence, and murder.
"This city knows the truth: Colonial powers use people and discard them when convenient but the Kurds are not disposable.
"They are not a bargaining chip. They remain a hope for democracy and justice in the Middle-East.
"Defending the Kurds is not nationalism. It is a moral test. Your solidarity today strengthens resistance everywhere."
