Protest in Tel Tamr over removal of Kurdish from official signs

The demonstration erupted after the courthouse sign, previously written in both Kurdish and Arabic, was removed and replaced with a new sign displaying only Arabic and English, a move that sparked widespread anger among local residents.

The protest march began from Qandil Roundabout at the southern entrance of the city, with broad public participation. Demonstrators carried banners affirming the Kurdish people’s right to their mother tongue and chanted slogans demanding recognition and protection of the Kurdish language within official institutions and the education system.

The protesters marched along the international highway before gathering in large numbers at the Khabur Bridge, where a speech was delivered by the co-chair of the Tel Tamr Schools Administration, Ayhan Al-Younes. She stressed that the Kurdish language constitutes an essential part of the region’s identity and culture, adding that any attempt to marginalize or exclude it amounts to targeting the existence and culture of an entire people.

She further emphasized that Syria’s cultural and linguistic diversity should serve as a source of richness and unity rather than a tool for exclusion and marginalization, calling on the relevant authorities to reverse the decision and respect the distinctiveness of the communities living in the region.

The protest concluded with demonstrators chanting: “No life without language.”

Earlier today, residents of Hasaka and Qamishlo also staged protests in front of the Justice Palace in Hasaka and the courthouse in Qamishlo over the exclusion of the Kurdish language from official signboards.

a.k

ANHA