Kurds in Paris demonstrate, call for Kurdistan referendum

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – On Saturday, Kurdish people demonstrated in Paris, showing support for holding the Kurdistan Region referendum for independence in 2016.

Many Kurdish people gathered in Trocadero area near the Eiffel Tower in Paris. They waved the Kurdistan flag and sang the Kurdish national anthem.

The demonstrators called for holding a Kurdish referendum in 2016 and asked the international community to support the referendum and an independent state for the Kurdistan Region.

“Following the collapse of dictatorship in Iraq in 2003, Kurdistan has become a stable and safe region in Iraq,” Aziz Mamle, one of the demonstrators, read a statement to the participants. 

“The independence of the Kurdistan Region is a natural right, and everyone should support the cause,” Mamle added.

The demonstrations come at a time when the Kurdistan Region is preparing to hold a referendum in 2016.

The President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani has often mentioned that the people of Kurdistan have the right to decide their future. He has also stated that the referendum will be held by the end of 2016 before the US presidential elections.

“Self-determination is a natural right that cannot be denied…the referendum will be held through peaceful dialogue and understanding,” Barzani said.

“We have tried everything possible with the central government [of Iraq], and nothing has worked. A separation is the only option remaining,” the Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region (KRSC) Masrour Barzani told The Washington Post.

“We want to move ahead with a vote on independence, but we must first work with Baghdad to pave the way for an amicable split that secures our mutual interests,” he added.

Reporting by Mewan Dolamari
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany and Ava Homa