Assyrian groups demand hate speech law after “Akitu Attack”

Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, the Assyrian Democratic Movement called for the criminalization of hate speech and extremism in response to the attack on celebrants of the Babylonian-Assyrian New Year in Duhok.

In a statement, the movement condemned the attack, stating, "A misguided individual assaulted two members of our Chaldean, Syriac, and Assyrian community who were celebrating the Babylonian-Assyrian New Year 6775 during the procession held today."

The movement pointed out that this incident, which appears to have an extremist nature, is the first of its kind since the public celebrations of the Babylonian-Assyrian New Year began in 1992 in Duhok, a city known for its security and safety.

It stressed that the responsible security authorities in the governorate should not treat this as an isolated incident, urging the government to implement laws that criminalize incitement to hatred and extremism against ethnic and religious communities, noting that such criminal acts threaten civil peace and harmonious coexistence among citizens.

Furthermore, the statement also emphasized the need for the investigation results to be disclosed transparently to the public, to understand the motives behind this “cowardly attack,”.