Jeremy Corbyn calls out the latest Western-backed ethnic cleansing campaign

Everyone should listen to Jeremy Corbyn’s intervention on the world’s latest Western-backed ethnic cleansing campaign. Because a terrorist who once had a $10m bounty on his head is now in charge of Syria. And with a greenlight from the US, Turkey, and Israel, he’s now attacking Kurdish people who led the fight to defeat Daesh.

Corbyn: ‘little media coverage, but a very serious issue’

Writing to foreign secretary Yvette Cooper on 21 January, Corbyn warned of a:

renewal of the prospects of civil war and the persecution of minority groups.

But he also noted that:

Despite its severity, the plight of Kurdish people in Syria continues to receive limited coverage in our media.

As he explained:

Human rights organisations have raised serious concerns about arbitrary arrests, disappearances, extrajudicial executions, reprisals against civilians and attacks on civilian infrastructure.

I have written to the Foreign Secretary about the plight of Kurdish people in Syria.

The UK government must do everything it can to prevent any further loss of life, uphold international law, and support a peaceful settlement rooted in equality, inclusion and justice. pic.twitter.com/qpRFBh7HUg

— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) January 21, 2026

As a consistent and long-time supporter of Kurdish rights and self-determination explained, Corbyn said that Kurdish people are:

one of the largest ethnic groups in the world without their own recognised country.

And he stressed their right to:

decide their own future.

With this in mind, he called on the UK government to back “inclusive negotiations” with “concrete protections for civilians and minorities”, “independent monitoring mechanisms”, and:

constitutional recognition of Kurdish identity, language and local self-government.

On the Kurdish question, however, the UK has long followed the lead of its war criminal allies in Turkey, persecuting Kurdish activists as a result. That continues to this day. So a change in approach seems unlikely.

That hasn’t stopped progressive politicians and people in the street from speaking out, though:

Kurdish-majority communities are under attack in North East Syria from the Damascus regime.

Rojava must not be abandoned pic.twitter.com/MyqCEdLSPL

— Natalie Bennett (@natalieben) January 21, 2026

"The UK government has got to make clear to the Syrian government that the current negotiated ceasefire must be restored and that attacks on Kurdish-majority towns are unacceptable."

Green Party Peer @natalieben responds to the ongoing attack on North East Syria. pic.twitter.com/ddDDJVZR6z

— The Green Party (@TheGreenParty) January 22, 2026

Very concerned by the Syrian government's mounting campaign against Kurds in the country, killing many and displacing 155,000 civilians.

These are the people who led the fight against ISIS. Our government must do all it can to prevent further displacement and loss of life.

— Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP (@BellRibeiroAddy) January 22, 2026

Newcastle protest in solidarity with Rojava as it's attacked by al-Sharaa's regime in Syria pic.twitter.com/N1A0FYRnxz

— Ed Sykes (@OsoSabioUK) January 23, 2026

THOUSANDS OF KURDS BROKE THROUGH POLICE LINES TODAY TO OCCUPY WHITEHALL IN LONDON BLOCKING TRAFFIC FOR HOURS IN PROTEST AT UK’s HISTORIC BETRAYAL OF THE KURDS IN ROJAVA! #TwitterKurds pic.twitter.com/OKJ2nDjC8J

— @Hevallo Free Rojava! (@Hevallo) January 20, 2026

In #London the Kurds are protesting agains the atrocities and ethnic cleansing in Syria pic.twitter.com/OmIOce0d4G

— Dilşad Abdo (@DalshadAbdo) January 22, 2026

Numerous protests are due to take place in London in the coming days, including a march on 25 January.

There have also been protests across Europe, with some reportedly facing attacks from religious extremists.

Displacement of 170,000 people, and Syrian regime shows its true face

The regime of al-Qaeda fighter Ahmed al-Sharaa had already shown it wasn’t a trustworthy negotiator, having allowed or perpetrated attacks already on Syria’s marginalised communities. And as a senior female commander from Rojava said amid the current assault, Kurdish-majority communities have received:

no constitutional guarantees.

Al-Sharaa has the military and political backing of Turkey‘s anti-Kurdish regime – NATO’s second biggest army. And Turkey has constantly attacked Rojava, ethnically cleansing two of its regions in the process. So there is significant reason to distrust words that come without guarantees.

It’s also hard to trust al-Sharaa because reports say his forces have already:

• Displaced 170,000 people since the start of January.
• Besieged the city of Kobane and its 150,000 civilians, cutting electricity and stopping “fuel, food, or medical supplies” from entering. Several babies have reportedly already died. Kobane previously got the world’s attention in 2014 with its strong resistance to a Daesh assault as Turkey watched from across the border.
• Concerned women in particular, with one viral video showing an apparent regime soldier “showing off the braid he cut from the head of a female Kurdish fighter“. Amid such toxic male behaviour, countless women have responded online by braiding each other’s hair as a form of symbolic resistance.
• Freed Daesh prisoners while attacking Rojavan forces guarding them.
• Undertaken extrajudicial executions.
• Desecrated graves.
• Murdered fleeing civilians.

The US has apparently been planning the removal of some Daesh prisoners to Iraq to pave the way for al-Sharaa’s assault without letting any other captives go free.

Complex, but actually pretty simple

Israel’s genocide in Gaza made it clearer than ever that we’re in a world where ‘bully tactics’ dominate.

Indeed, as University of Sussex associate professor Kamran Matin summed up:

A new era of geopolitical accumulation has begun.

For him, the priority of the US and its local allies (Israel, Turkey, and the Gulf dictatorships) is to weaken their own opponents in Syria – the biggest one being Iran. That meant carving Syria into spheres of influence earlier this month, serving Turkey in the north, Israel in the south, and Gulf regimes by leaving a like-minded extremist in charge

Featured image via the Canary