No specific name.

Turkey, various locations.

Since January 2026 to February 2026.

Across Turkey there have been numerous demonstrations in solidarity with Kurds in Northern Syria. In 2025, the interim Syrian government declared its intention to reunify Syria under central control, however there has been continued instability between the interim Syrian government and the Kurish-led forces.

In mid-January a ceasefire was announced between the two sides however sporadic clashes and violations have continued with many claiming that the Syrian transition government engages in siege tactics and sought to spread terror and mass displacement to the Kurdish people. The Syrian army operations against Kurdish led forces in places like Aleppo have been the focus of large discontent amongst empathisers of the Kurdish people.

In January 2026 a video circulated which purportedly showed a Syrian fighter, some claim who has, affiliations to ISIS holding several hair braids said to belong to a member of the Kurdish Women’s protection Units (YPJ) and the SDF, the same groups who played a key role in defeating ISIS alongside the US coalition forces. In Kurdish and Yazidi communities’ long hair, often braided, represents strength, dignity and honour, this act was therefore interpreted as an act of revenge and erasure of the legacy of women’s resistance which is of such important in the region.

Across Turkey and Syria supporters have been coming out in solidarity and mourning the Kurdish resistance. There have been demonstrations on the streets, at university campuses and a large social media campaign. Many women came out on social media showing videos braiding their hair with hashtags like #KeziyênMeTirsaWe translating at Our Braids Are Your Fear. There has been reportedly large-scale crack down by Turkish police and security services with claims that underage demonstrators had been detained.

The intended outcome of the action was to raise awareness and stand in solidarity with the Kurds in North and Eastern Syria, drawing attention to the treatment of Kurds by government forces as well as their inaction to protect Kurdish groups.

There have been multiple modalities of protest, namely a large social media campaign and some demonstrations on university campuses and local spaces.

In the first instance a large social media campaign took place where potentially thousands of women were videoed braiding their hair to stand beside the female Kurdish fighters. Some commentators narrated on the poignant nature of video of mothers braiding their daughter’s hair, showcasing the intergenerational nature of resistance with one activist commenting “[Resistance] didn’t end with those you killed. We have other girls who will continue to walk this path

Its thought many of these were young people with a specific focus on young activists being arrested in connection with these protests.

One high profile story is of a 16-year-old who was detained in Izmir over the video she posted. One article reported “The DEM Party alleged some minors were barred from seeing a lawyer for 24 hours, suffered physical violence during detention, were questioned without legal representation present and were pressured to sign documents. It also alleged some were subjected to strip-searches when entering detention facilities, were insulted and had their hair cut without consent.“ Its been reported that as many as 90 youth activists have been detained in relation to the demonstration.

In the second notable youth led action resulted in scuffles with Police on university campuses, notably one at Dicle University in Diyarbakir, Turkey. Videos from the demonstration show youth led chanting and organisation leading to police and private security forces use of force. A spokesperson from the demonstration commented on how the Universities stance with the security forces made them complicit in the violence and in direct challenge to the legal rights of expression, assumedly and demonstration.

There are reports that there were other youth protests further afield across Europe in solidary with the Kurds.

In the hair braiding campaign, it is unclear on the specific Gen Z purpose and meaning of their action. There is a wide sample of videos to be analyzed to understand the specific, stand out Gen Z themes. On the campus at the university of Dicle University in Diyarbakir posters show 2+2=1, a theme which is reflected in protests online. This comes from a Kurdish national poem used to illustrate that Kurds will always exist no matter how they are perceived or treated, showing that for decades the Kurdish “problem” has been treated like an unsolvable equation. Other common images show young people holding their fingers up in the peace sign and carrying banners displaying the word Rojova for the historically autonomous Kurdish region. This shows how the demonstrators are aware of Kurdish history and core values of pro-Kurdish movements.

A large number of the values in their communications are surrounding the injustices felt by the kurdish people, especially the representations of women within these groups. Women and female resistance are central to the ideology, practice, and symbolism of the Kurdish movement for emancipation. In several Kurdish political and social movements—especially those influenced by the ideas of Abdullah Öcalan—women’s liberation is considered inseparable from Kurdish national liberation. Slogans include the popular hashtag: Jin, Jiyan, Azadî, Women, life freedom, شکۆی_کەزی, another phrased circulated it “You cut one braid, a thousand more will grow”.

Because it is a raising awareness campaign, namely on social media the primary objective is to reach as many people as possible. Using social media means reaching people who may not understand the complexity or existence of the problem. However just by reaching them it makes an impact as words spreads that the problem exists.

In both examples there was backlash from mainstreams authorities, in the case of the hair braiding campaign: The Turkish government’s response framed campaign as support for groups designated as “terrorist organizations”, and in some cases launched investigations against and detained participants. In response to the university protest, protesters were met with force from the policy and security services, regardless of the right to protest. This approach mirrors Turkey’s broader stance on Kurds and Kurdish-related developments in Syria.

The majority of this framing is reflected in police response to demonstrations, multiple arrests have been made and reportedly youth have been detained illustrating the governments discontent with such protests. This reaction reflects tension between the Turkish government and supporters of the Kurds. However, other protests have used similar narratives and framing, specifically in other similar contexts where women are oppressed and minorities are threatened such as Iran and Palestine.