For 9 years, the Kurds have celebrated World Day for Kobanê on 1 November. But how was that date chosen?

After the attacks of ISIS on Kobanê in 2014, many writers, artists, academics, activists, historians, journalists, representatives of civil society organisations and MPs signed a statement to express solidarity with the city and demand humanitarian assistance for its residents. Thousands of people took the streets in many countries all around the world to show their support to Kobanê in its struggle against the Islamic State.

The EU-Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC) and the Peace Camping initiative against ISIS launched a petition to call for “Global mobilization for Kobanê and humanity”. 130 well-known people signed the petition in the first four days. The 130 international signatories, including American linguist Noam Chomsky; Adolfo Perez Esquive, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 1980-Argentina; Bishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate in 1984 and Michel Roland, President of Médecins du Monde, called for a global rally against ISIS for Kobanê and for humanity.

In the statement, the signatories wrote: “The so-called international coalition to fight ISIS has not fulfilled their real international legal obligations. Some of the countries in the coalition, especially Turkey, are among the financial and military supporters of the ISIS terrorists in Iraq and Syria. If the world wants democracy in the Middle East, it should support the Kurdish resistance in Kobanê. We encourage people all over the world to show their solidarity with Kobanê. Go to the streets and demonstrate.”

On 1 November 2014, millions of people around the world took to the streets to express their solidarity with the heroic resistance of Kobanê.

Since then, November 1 has been celebrated as World Kobanê Day.