WATCH: Kurds in Stockholm, Hamburg rally in support of Kurdistan referendum

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdish community in the diaspora on Saturday rallied in support of the Kurdistan Region’s upcoming independence referendum scheduled for Sep. 25.

Sponsored by Kurdistan 24, the Kurdish community in Sweden organized a rally in Stockholm where thousands gathered to express their support for the historic referendum. 

The people traveled from different cities in Sweden and other European countries.

“Why should other nations have their own state but it is prohibited for 40 million Kurds to have one?” One of the attendees told Kurdistan 24 during the rally.

“‘Yes,’ for the independence of Kurdistan,” said another Kurd at the rally. “It is time for the international community to hear our voice through a referendum.”

Similarly, another demonstration was held in the city of Hamburg in Germany.

The Kurdish diaspora there called on all the people of the Kurdistan Region and the disputed territories to unite and take advantage of this momentous opportunity.

Both rallies consisted of Kurds from different parts of the Greater Kurdistan, which includes the Kurdish regions in Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria.

The Kurdish leadership has rejected calls to delay the referendum despite increasing pressure from neighboring countries, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Senior Kurdish officials, including the President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani, have emphasized the right of the people of Kurdistan to decide on their future democratically and peacefully.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany