Marine Le Pen slams Macron over abandoning Syria's Kurds

PARIS,— French far-right politician Marine Le Pen sharply criticized President Emmanuel Macron and the French government for what she described as a lack of support for Kurdish forces in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava).

Le Pen, leader of the National Rally party, argued that Kurdish fighters who played a central role in defeating ISIS are now being abandoned by Western powers.

In a post on the social media platform X, Le Pen condemned Macron for recently meeting with senior Syrian officials at the Élysée Palace. Some of these officials, she said, were former jihadists. Le Pen accused the French president of legitimizing Islamist actors, which she claims has contributed to the ongoing persecution of communities in Syria.

Le Pen wrote, “The Kurds are dying. Those who courageously led the fight against the Islamic State are being abandoned, and the international community is looking away. Emmanuel Macron has once again failed in a tragic way by welcoming Syria’s self-proclaimed president, a former jihadist associated with Daesh and Al-Qaeda. By giving legitimacy to Islamism, the President now bears a heavy responsibility for the persecution of minorities in Syria.”

The Kurdish forces drove the Islamic State out of its last area in eastern Syria, in the village of Baghouz, in March 2019. Since then, Kurdish authorities have held around 12,000 people suspected of being IS members in their prisons.

More than 21,000 Kurdish fighters, both men and women, have died fighting against ISIS and Syrian Islamist groups backed by Turkey.

Le Pen’s statements follow recent attacks by the Syrian government’s Islamist army on areas controlled by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF. The SDF has been a key partner of the international coalition against ISIS.

On Tuesday, a ceasefire was announced to halt operations in the Kurdish regions of Hasaka and Kobane. The Kurds have been given four days to present a plan for integrating its fighters into the Syrian army, with the deadline set for Saturday. Kurdish leaders fear that this process could undermine self-administration in their regions.

Le Pen’s comments reflect concerns shared by Kurdish supporters and international observers, who note that Western priorities have shifted since ISIS was weakened. Many argue that the Kurds now face political isolation despite their role in the anti-ISIS campaign.

Western countries have condemned the Syrian government’s recent attacks on Kurdish areas. However, political analyst Henase Karin told iKurd.net that these criticisms carry little weight without concrete action against Sharra, Syria’s interim president and former leader of ISIS and Al-Qaeda, or without providing military or humanitarian aid to Syrian Kurds.

Israel has also expressed support for the Syrian Kurds, though largely through statements rather than concrete actions.

In a 2024 article, Michael Rubin wrote that Israel should “put up or shut up” regarding the Kurds. He also criticized Israeli policy in 2019, saying that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s symbolic support for the Kurds “helps no one.”

Observers say that some Arab and Islamic countries, and TV channels, especially Qatar’s Al Jazeera, misrepresent the facts about the Kurds.

They often portray Kurds as the “bad” actors in Syria, label Kurdish forces as “terrorists,” suggest that the Kurdish forces in Rojava lack support from local Syrian Kurds, and refer to the SDF, YPG, or YPJ groups as the PKK, instead of recognizing them as Kurdish protection forces of Rojava Kurdistan.

At the same time, these Arabic and Islamic media outlets do not publish reports on the crimes committed by the Syrian government Islamist army against the Kurdish population.