Members of South Wales’ Iraqi-Kurdish community conducted a support protest in Cardiff City Centre last Saturday, showing solidarity with their compatriots some 3,500 miles away
Members of South Wales’ Iraqi/Kurdish community took to St. David’s Street on 6 Saturday 2019 in a show of support of the ongoing protests in major Iraqi cities.
Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have taken to the streets in Baghdad (among other cities) in recent weeks, protesting rising unemployment and state corruption.
The head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said: “Five days of deaths and injuries: this must stop.”
The demonstration took place along St. David’s St during prime shopping hours.
The march was conducted peacefully, and members of the local Cardiff public were encouraged to ask questions to the marchers about the ongoing protests in Iraq. Iraqi and Kurdish flags were flown by demonstrators along the route along a predictably packed St David’s St on a Saturday.
Demonstrators told Alt.Cardiff they are also looking to educate and inform Cardiffians about the ongoing crisis in Iraq, and would welcome their support in any upcoming protests.
They claim the lack of coverage by the mainstream news media in South Wales was an added incentive to conduct the march, looking to bring the crisis to the forefront.
Karmand Qadir Mustafa, a 25-year-old student at Gwent College took part in the protests.
He said that he attended the protest to “show support” for his family and friends back home.
“We are doing a demonstration in Cardiff to show support to our people in Iraq,” he said.
“People get killed for their freedom to challenge and stand up to the government, so we will stand up for our families back home.
“The weak point of the protests is that non-Iraqi/Kurdish [people] don’t know anything about the situation.”
The group of protesters are planning future marches in Cardiff, and are encouraging local community members to get involved.