News / protest
Kurdish community in Bristol demands justice and freedom
“It’s very difficult,” said Tara Miran. “We’re seeing young people travel from safer areas to defend their brothers and sisters. Sometimes they come back as martyrs. That pain is something we carry constantly.”
The campaigner and Kurdish woman was speaking out about the plight faced by her people as she called to raise awareness for ethnic and religious minorities in places such as Rojava.
Miran was one of several speakers to take to the small stage beneath a gazebo on College Green for a peaceful demonstration that brought together Kurdish families, friends and allies.
The protest followed reports that the de facto autonomous region of Rojava has lost roughly 80 per cent of its territory amid a Syrian government offensive that began in early January.
Some carried placards reading ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ – a Kurdish feminist slogan
As rain drizzled on Saturday afternoon, protesters held the red, white and green tricolour flag of Kurdistan, wore traditional dress and listened to speeches, songs and poetry.
Speaking to Bristol24/7 as the protest was about to begin, Miran said the gathering was about both resistance and visibility.
“We’re uniting as Kurds from the four parts of Kurdistan,” she said.
“Our land has been colonised and divided and in each part there is oppression, ethnic cleansing and violence that isn’t being properly recognised by Western governments or mainstream media.”
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Miran, who has lived in Bristol for the last 16 years, said many protesters have family members still living in the region and remain in close contact with them.
She described Kurds as “a very oppressed minority within oppressive regimes,” adding that the protest was calling for basic rights, particularly for women, as well as protection of Kurdish land and culture.
“We are indigenous to our lands and very much at one with the earth,” she said. “When our lands are bombed and destroyed, it’s not just the people who suffer, but the animals, the environment, and future generations.”
The number of attendees of the protest rose to more than 100 as the afternoon rolled on
Despite this, Miran said seeing unity among Kurds from different regions gave her hope.
“Being together like this is very therapeutic,” she said. “We carry generational trauma. Even small things like music or braiding hair in the colours of Kurdistan are powerful acts of resistance and healing.”
“We are a vibrant, loving community and recognition matters,” she added.
Kurdistan, which spans areas of Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran, has no internationally recognised independent state
The Bristol protest formed part of a wider series of national and global demonstrations as Kurdish communities continue to call for protection and self-determination after reports of intensifying violence against their people in the Middle East.
All photos: Rob Browne; video: Betty Woolerton
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