The first Kurdish demonstration in nearly two decades took place in Damascus on December 10 in front of the Syrian parliament. The protestors shouted slogans such as “Lift the ban on Kurdish language, culture, and respect of human rights in Syria” and “Syria for Arabs, Kurds and other minorities”. Leaflets listing the demonstrators' demands were distributed in the street. The material focused on the discrimination against the Kurds in nearly every aspect of Syrian life, and the oppression fostered by the Iraqi Arabization policy, which encourages Arabs to settle in and occupy traditional Kurdish lands. The Syrian parliament initiated a meeting with a delegation from the demonstration, and political authorities promised to recognize the demonstrators' demands. Overall, the demonstrations remained peaceful.
