Kurds across Canada gather in front of Parliament in peaceful referendum demonstration

OTTAWA, Canada (Kurdistan 24) – Hundreds of Kurds from cities across Canada on Thursday gathered on Parliament Hill in the country’s capital of Ottawa to rally in support of the Kurdistan Region’s upcoming independence referendum.

The Greater Toronto Kurdish House, a non-partisan Kurdish community group in Toronto, Canada, and the Kurdish-Canadian Association of Ottawa organized the event.

Demonstrations have been held all across the world as Kurds in the Region, as well as the Diaspora, prepare to cast their votes on Sep. 25.

In Ottawa, Kurds gathered in front of the Parliament building to urge the Canadian government to back the Kurdistan Region’s historic referendum.

Kurds danced, waved flags, and shouted pro-independence slogans during the rally in front of the Canadian Parliament building.

Among the attendees were members of Kurdish lobby groups across Canada as well as Members of the Canadian Parliament.

Rojen Rahmani, a Kurd seeking nomination as a Conservative candidate in the Canadian government, told Kurdistan 24 Kurds were entitled to their independence.

“Kurds have a right to their own nation,” she said. “We have fought long and hard for our own independent state, and today we are all here to show that.”

Rahmani also emphasized the importance of self-determination for Kurds, as well as international support for the referendum.

Shaban Khalil, a Kurd from Zakho in the Kurdistan Region who emigrated to Canada in the mid-90s with his family, said the referendum would lead to a stable region.

“This event is an important part of Kurdistan’s history and will lead to a stabilized Middle East,” he noted.

Despite overwhelming pressure from neighboring countries, as well as the US and the UK, to postpone the vote, the leadership in Kurdistan has insisted the referendum will proceed according to schedule.

Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani has previously said Kurds have the right “to decide on their future democratically and peacefully.”

Editing by G.H. Renaud