Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Bafel Talabani met with students on Sunday. “We sat down. I wanted to know what the problems of these students are. We understood each other very well,” he told reporters. “I was honestly expecting the government to look out for them better. These are our sons and daughters. Unfortunately they couldn’t meet their demands enough. We will find a mechanism so that the party can meet their demands more.”
Student protests began on Sunday at the University of Sulaimani and were met with a crackdown as police used electric batons to disperse the crowd. But the protests continued, growing in size every day and spreading to other cities and towns across the Kurdistan Region during last week.
The protests began with students demanding restoration of a living allowance. The government used to pay a monthly stipend of 40,000 to 100,000 dinars ($27 - $67) per student. It was one of the expenses the government cut when it introduced austerity measures like salary cuts to cope with the financial crisis caused by the war with the Islamic State (ISIS), low oil prices, and budget disputes with Baghdad. Without the funds, some students have problems buying food or paying for accommodation.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) decided on Wednesday to allocate additional funding for the ministry of higher education to improve dormitories, among other things.
But the allowance is just the start of a long list of grievances. Students said they also want to see education reform and de-politicization of university campuses.
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also had a sit-down with students, saying he "heard your calls for more jobs and fairness in the economy."
I’m humbled by talks with students. I have felt your uncertainty about your future. I have heard your calls for more jobs and fairness in the economy. Though reform takes time, I’m confident that with your help better days are ahead. pic.twitter.com/6zac1lY2jN
— Masrour Barzani (@masrour_barzani) November 28, 2021
During the protests, an almost two-year old video of cars driving over a Kurdistan flag went viral and stirred up controversy. The KRG and several members of the parliament issued statements condemning student protesters for disrespecting the flag, unaware the footage was dated.
Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Qubad Talabani, offered an apology on Sunday.
“Thousands of students have taken to the streets of Kurdistan against their government, and they have demands. Us, the government, instead of getting closer to them, and understand them, and try to calm them down, we bring up an old video and accuse students of disrespecting the sacred flag of Kurdistan. Without moving a muscle and look for the truth of this video, we made students angrier at us,” he said during a Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Strategies Conference in Erbil.
Talabani said the mistake was made by him, the government, and the parliament. “The smallest thing we can do now is apologize to the students of the University of Sulaimani and all the other universities that were proud of the Kurdistan flag, more than us during the protests. That’s why we apologize from here,” he added.
Students were expected to resume protests in Sulaimani on Sunday, but there was heavy security on the streets around the university and downtown.
