Long march by Syrian Revolutionary Youth Movement kicks off in Qamishlo

The Syrian Revolutionary Youth Movement's march, scheduled for three days, started in Qamishlo on Sunday and will arrive in Tirbespiyê later in the evening. The activists are supported by their mothers.

The three-day march of the Syrian Revolutionary Youth Movement through the northeast of the country began earlier today in Qamishlo. Participants are expected to arrive at the first destination stage, Tirbespiyê, later this evening. Other stops on the way to Dêrik include Çilaxa, Rimêlan and Girkê Legê. Activists from the autonomous Young Women's Association are also taking part in the march. However, it is still unclear whether the demonstration will continue to the Sêmalka border crossing as planned. If the march ends in Dêrik, it would have covered a distance of a good 100 kilometers.

The demonstration is considered an "act of solidarity" with the resistance of the guerrillas in the Medya Defense Zones and is being held as part of the mobilization called by the youth movement in February. At the same time, the action is directed against the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the Kurdish liberation movement, on the Turkish prison island of Imrali. Since 1999, the PKK founder has been held in political hostage in the prison in the Sea of Marmara, and the last contact with his legal counsel took place in August 2019.

The start of the demonstration at the Şerq intersection in the east of Qamishlo was accompanied by numerous people from the city. The mothers of the activists also joined the protest and supported their sons and daughters. The participants wore red-colored T-shirts with Öcalan's portrait and slogans printed on them. On banners are slogans such as "The rebellion of young women is resistance" or "Zap, Avashin and Metina will win with the strength of Rêber Apo's resistance". Many young people have brought with them a wide variety of flags of fighting movements in Kurdistan and northeastern Syria. Some carry pictures of martyrs, including guerrilla Doğa Zîlan, the first martyr of the HPG air defense units, and Kasim Engin, a member of the PKK Central Committee.