ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Officials in northeast Syria (Rojava) said Saturday that Kurdish residents returning to the northern city of Afrin were abused following Newroz celebrations, with the Kurdish flag burned and trampled, as local authorities imposed a curfew following the incidents.
“Serious violations were committed against Afrin Kurds, and some of them were beaten and harassed,” Ahmed Hassan, head of the Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC), an umbrella group of Kurdish opposition parties in Rojava, told Rudaw, adding that during Friday Newroz celebration as well, “some small problems had occurred."
Newroz, which marks the first day of spring, is celebrated by millions of Kurds in the Kurdistan Region and Kurdish areas of Turkey, Iran, and Syria, as well as by the Kurdish diaspora in the West. Celebrated annually from March 21 to 23, it is marked by outdoor gatherings, picnics, and the lighting of bonfires with family and loved ones.
Hassan said that in the center of Afrin city and on the Aleppo-Afrin road, residents were obstructed. “The Kurdistan flag is being trampled, and people are forced to walk over the flag,” he said, adding that those committing the violations were people who were previously in armed groups from the eastern Deir ez-Zor province.
Muslim Mohammed, a senior member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party - Syria (PDK-S), the backbone of the ENKS, told Rudaw from Aleppo province that at 10 am their party organized a Newroz ceremony in the northern Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood. He said that around 10,000 people attended, including Syrian officials such as Deputy Aleppo governor Ali Hannoura.
Mohammed said that after 15 years, this was the first time a Newroz ceremony was officially held in Aleppo with a significant number of attendees, including people from Afrin.
He said the violations took place during their return to Afrin around 5 pm, when they were obstructed by dozens of people on the road in the Tal Rifaat and A’zaz areas.
Sipan Hemo, deputy to the Syrian defense minister, who was recently appointed, warned that anyone “who insults the Syrian flag or attacks the Kurds and their symbols will be held accountable.”
The statement came after footage showed a group of youths taking down the Syrian flag in Kobane.
“We confirm that those who brought down the Syrian flag in Kobane and those who insult the Kurdish people and their symbols share the same mentality that aims to create division and discord,” he said in a statement posted on X.
Following the violations, the Afrin security directorate announced a curfew inside the city, calling on residents to adhere to guidelines to protect public order.
In a statement, the directorate said the curfew would begin at 8 pm and continue until 2 am, adding that the measure was aimed at protecting “national unity” and “solidarity” among Syria's communities. It also called on residents to respect national symbols and preserve the values of “brotherhood and coexistence.”
It warned that it “will take legal measures against anyone who violates the decision, to enforce the law and protect social peace."
In mid-January, amid an offensive by Damascus and affiliated forces that resulted in the capture of territory held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued a “special decree” aimed at guaranteeing Kurdish “rights and certain particularities,” declaring Newroz an official holiday and recognizing Kurdish as a national language.
During the January conflict, dozens of violations were committed against Kurdish residents and fighters by Damascus-affiliated forces.
Gashaw Khalid and Solin Hamadamin contributed to this report from Erbil.
Updated at 11:57 pm.
