PYD calls to end violations against Alawites and unify efforts for Syria's safety

The General Council of the PYD issued a statement to the public today regarding the recent events and developments in Alawite-populated areas along the Syrian coast, Homs, Damascus, and the countryside of Hama.

The statement read:

"On Wednesday, Alawite-populated areas along the Syrian coast, Homs, Damascus, and the countryside of Hama witnessed protests following the circulation of a video showing an 'attack' on the shrine of Sheikh Abu Abdullah al-Hussein bin Hamdan al-Khasibi in Aleppo. Social media also circulated videos of gunfire coinciding with the protests, resulting in injuries, the imposition of curfews in specific areas, and the burning of a Christmas tree in Hama.

Our party, the Democratic Union Party, is monitoring these events with concern and rejects attacks on any belief, culture, religion, sect, or ethnicity. The party warns against being drawn into sectarian conflicts at this critical time for our country. The PYD emphasizes the need to end the national division caused by years of crisis, the practices of the central authoritarian regime, foreign intervention, and the exploitation of the crisis by destructive foreign and regional agendas, foremost among them, attempts to "Ottomanize" the region, divide Syria, and plunder its resources.

We urge the Syrian people and all political parties, including the political administration in Damascus, to put an end to and denounce these violations. To achieve this, the PYD believes the solution lies in allowing the coastal region’s residents to govern their areas and ensuring internal security is managed by locals, to avoid a sectarian war that Syria cannot afford. Additionally, the party calls for the formation of a committee representing all Syrian components to draft a social contract that guarantees the rights of all Syrians, regardless of their ethnic, cultural, or religious identities, as well as the rights of women.

We also call on everyone to condemn any sectarian incident and end hate speech. Without this, Syria risks descending into civil war, which would bring further destruction to the Syrian people.

On this basis, we call on all democratic forces in Syria to work together to confront these violations, intensify joint efforts during this transitional period, and unify efforts to bring Syria to safety."