Some 300 pro-Kurdish protesters marched through Brussels in solidarity with Kurds in Syria on Wednesday morning.
The procession, organised by the Belgian Democratic Council of Communities from Kurdistan (NavBel), began at around 11:00 at Porte de Namur and headed towards the European Parliament.
The protestors urged the international community to closely monitor the situation in Syria and Rojava, the Autonomous Kurdish Administration in north-east Syria which is threatened by Turkey, and achieve lasting peace in the region.
They highlighted not only the "dire situation in the Kurdish enclave of Aleppo," where hundreds of thousands are trapped and facing water, food and electricity shortages, but also criticised the "passivity of the international community."
Rebel army or Islamist militia?
According to NavBel, the EU, US and NATO remain passive in the face of jihadist groups. The alliance of forces that toppled the Assad regime is led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The alliance's leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, has renounced jihadism and says he will govern with the protection of minorities in mind.
NavBel claimed that the West blindly frames HTS as "a rebel army" rather than an Islamist militia.
"People overlook the barbaric nature of HTS. They are enemies of Kurds and all other ethnic, cultural and religious minorities," the organisation said. "They are enemies of women, democracy and freedom of speech. HTS' normalisation is a strategy by Turkey and the US to gain public acceptance for this group."
"We made great sacrifices in the fight against ISIS and helped make the world safer for everyone. Today, it seems the world does not care about the Kurds," spokesperson Orhan Kilic stated.
