Kurdish Referendum Rally in Washington DC

WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan24) – On a warm, late summer day, nearly 1,000 people—mostly Kurds, but also their American supporters—gathered on the National Mall to support the upcoming Independence Referendum.

The mall’s grassy expanse reaches from the Lincoln Memorial—a marble tribute to the president who ended slavery in America and led the country through its civil war—to the Capitol Building, the seat of the US Congress.

In between, in the middle of the mall, stands a towering obelisk, a monument to George Washington, commander of the colonial army in the American War of Independence and the first president of the newly independent nation.

This was a fitting scene for Sunday’s rally for Kurdish independence.

The Representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, addressed the crowd, relaying a message from President Masoud Barzani.

His message began by expressing appreciation to Diaspora Kurds, “Your support is a source of assurance for all of us.”

“After a century of sacrifice and failed attempts at genuine partnership, our people have decided on independence to prevent future crises, destruction, and calamities,” Abdul Rahman read.

“The United States is our friend and ally against terrorism,” the message continued. “That friendship should be reflected in principles and values, and America should stand by the people of Kurdistan,” Abdul Rahman stated on behalf of the Kurdish president in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial.

The National Mall lies between the Constitution and Independence Avenues. The venue in which she spoke embodied the very values to which President Barzani sought to appeal.

The Kurdish Representative spoke afterward to Kurdistan24. “The right to self-determination is given to peoples around the world. Then why not to the people of Kurdistan?”

Abdul Rahman stressed the significance of President Barzani’s words to Kurds living abroad. “What they say and do matters. Sometimes people here can feel that they’re so far away, but they are not.”

She also mentioned that over the past week, she held meetings with “friends at the State Department” and “friends at the National Security Council.”

“We know that America’s position is that this referendum is ill-timed,” she said, “and they know our position, which is that we believe this is the right time.”

“But either way, we are friends and allies.”

Nauzad Karim traveled to the rally from Pennsylvania with his wife and children “to show the world that we, as Kurds, are one of the biggest nations with no country.”

“It is the right time for us,” he affirmed to Kurdistan24.

Another Kurdish-American, Evin Bagdu, noted that the KRG demonstrated that it has the capability for self-government.

“It has proven itself better than many new, independent countries.” Bagdu cited a friend, who describes Baghdad as “a government that has died, but no one wants to attend its funeral.”

“It is not good for the Kurds to be attached to something that is dying.”

Noting the Kurds’ powerful moral claim to independence, she added, “Sometimes, people need to listen to their conscience and keep to their values, when it comes to these things, as opposed to politics.”

Editing by G.H. Renaud