Paris demo slams Kurd killings in Syria

Kurds in France have held a demonstration against the killing of Syrian Kurds by foreign-backed Takfiri militants, Press TV reports.

The protesters took to the streets of Paris on Sunday, condemning extremist groups like the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front.

“Al-Qaeda is not winning against the [Syrian] armed forces and it’s losing its men. Therefore it’s attacking civilians. They are attacking women, children. They are killing and beheading civilians. They are raping. We are here to protest against violence by such groups,” a protestor said.

The demonstrators said attacks against all ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities must stop.

“These people [al-Qaeda-linked militants] do not represent Islam. They’re shedding the bloods of Kurds in the name of Allah, but neither in Islam nor in any other religion bloodshed is allowed. These are obscure groups which have no place in our society. They are taking our society backward with their violence,” another demonstrator said.

Kurdish communities have planned similar demonstrations in Washington, London, and Berlin.

On August 5, al-Nusra Front terrorists attacked Tal Abyad district of Raqqa Governorate in Syria, killing 330 women and elderly men as well as 120 children.

Kurds in Syria make up ten percent of the population and are mostly concentrated in the northern part of the country.

Fighting between Kurdish militia and al-Qaeda-linked groups has been escalating in north and northeastern Syria in the past weeks after Kurdish fighters, who are opposed to foreign interference in Syria, managed to push back militants from several positions in the area.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, Western powers and their regional allies – especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey – are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million displaced due to the violence.