Manchester, 15 October 2026

Dakok Organisation held a peaceful demonstration outside the Iraqi Consulate in Manchester as part of a coordinated campaign across seven UK cities under the title “Failure to Nationalise the Armed Forces Will Lead to Further Betrayal.”

Activists loudly chanted slogans against the Iraqi authorities, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and armed militias, condemning the events of 16 October 2017 and demanding unified national armed forces and protection of Kurdish rights.

During the demonstration, Iraqi consulate staff were reportedly observed closely monitoring and recording activists on mobile phones from both ground-floor and upper-floor windows. Dakok members captured footage of the alleged recording, raising concerns about the monitoring of peaceful Kurdish political activities in the UK.

At the same time, former US President Barack Obama was visiting the Norfolk Street area of Manchester. Dakok activists called out to him, urging him to listen to the voices and concerns of Kurdish demonstrators.

Dakok documented the incident as part of its ongoing monitoring of Kurdish political activism and concerns over freedom of expression in the United Kingdom.