Step Out of Your Palaces, The People Are Starving

Manchester – 26 June 2025

At a powerful protest outside the Iraqi consulate in Manchester, Bakhtyar Mohammed Sharif called out the Kurdish ruling elite, directly addressing the Barzani and Talabani families over the deepening crisis in the Kurdistan Region.

“Come out of your golden palaces the people are starving,” he declared. “While your employees wait unpaid, you spoil yourselves and your children, then insult the people further with your arrogant speeches.”

Sharif condemned Masoud Barzani’s repeated use of the word ‘dignity’, stating that the Kurdish people once held true dignity until it was stripped away by corrupt rule.

“You’ve brought your people to their knees,” he said. “You’ve left them with no option but to beg.”

His statement echoed the sentiment of the UK-wide Kurdish demonstrations in seven cities, demanding an end to the salary delays, and political repression.