Bay Area Kurds Protest Oppression by Turkish and Syrian States

Photos: Leon Kunstenaar

(San Francisco, Jan. 20) - Today marks a day of profound mourning and urgency for the Kurdish people.

Kurds are being slaughtered, massacred, and displaced not by accident but “because they were a loyal ally of the United States”. As mass killings, ethnic cleansing, and systematic violence continue against Kurdish civilians in Syrian Kurdistan, the Kurdish community is calling on the world, and especially the United States, not to remain silent. Silence is not neutrality.

Thousands of peaceful protesters from the Kurdish community and allied human-rights supporters are raising their voices against the ongoing massacres and repression carried out by “ISIS and ISIS-affiliated forces”, as well as by the “terrorist Turkish state and the terrorist Syrian state”, which have targeted Kurdish civilians through coordinated military attacks and systematic violence.

The Kurdish peopleoften described as the **angels and protectors of humanity** are now themselves being slaughtered **because they housed, protected, and fought alongside U.S. military forces in the fight against ISIS. Kurds opened their cities, defended American troops, and paid with their blood to defeat terrorism on behalf of the world.

Today, Kurds are being punished for that alliance. They are being hunted precisely because they stood with the United States when others would not. Entire communities are now paying the price for their loyalty.

Those who once stood as shields for humanity are now being massacred in silence. This is not only a humanitarian crisis it is a moral test. An ally that fought shoulder to shoulder with the United States is now facing extermination, and the American government has a responsibility to protect those who stood with it.

Families, elders, women, and youth are coming together not for politics, but for survival, dignity, and the fundamental right to exist. Entire Kurdish communities face erasure because they chose to stand on the side of humanity and alongside the United States. This gathering is a plea for visibility, accountability, and moral responsibility. The United States must not abandon a loyal ally to slaughter.

We respectfully ask members of the press to bear witness, amplify these voices, and help ensure that these crimes are not ignored.

See all high resolution photos here.