A brutal assault blemished the Assyrian Christian New Year parade in Dohuk, Iraq, on Tuesday. An assailant wielding an axe attacked the crowd during the procession, marking the Assyrian New Year, leaving three people injured, eyewitnesses and local officials said.

Attacker Shouts Islamic Slogans During Assault

Witnesses described how the unidentified perpetrator charged at members of the parade, yelling out Islamic slogans. He used an axe, where he hit three individuals before the crowd and the local security authorities subdued him. Footage trending on social media reveals the assailant lying subdued on the ground, yelling back again and again, “Islamic State, the Islamic State still exists.”

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The Victims and Their Stories

The victims of the attack were a 17-year-old male, who received a skull fracture, and a 75-year-old female, who was also injured with the same trauma. Another injured victim was a member of the local security forces who was flying a surveillance drone during the attack. All three victims were hospitalized.

Athraa Abdullah, whose son Fardi was among the wounded, spoke to The Associated Press of her sorrow, saying, “We were already attacked and displaced by ISIS, and today we faced a terrorist attack at a place we came to for shelter.”

Janet Aprem Odisho, whose mother was among the wounded, described the horrific moment in her own words, “He was running at us with an axe. All I remember is that he hit my mother, and I ran away when she fell.”

Condemnation and Calls for Action

Following the attack, Assyrian leaders raised alarm over growing hate speech and extremism. Political leader Ninab Yousif Toma with the Assyrian Democratic Movement condemned both the Kurdish regional government and the Iraqi federal government for not doing enough to curb the growing wave of extremism.

He added, “We call upon both governments to look at the religious and education curriculums that sow hatred in individuals’ minds and promote ethnic and religious extremism.”

Toma further stated that although this attack was atrocious, Assyrian Christians have commemorated their New Year in Dohuk without violence since the 1990s and have been thankful for the protection of Kurdish Muslims in the region. “The Kurds in Duhok serve us water and candy even when they are fasting for Ramadan. This was probably an individual, spontaneous attack, and it will not intimidate our people.”

Resilience in the Face of Terror

In spite of the brutal attack, the Assyrian community persisted with their celebrations of the Akitu festival, which is a symbol of renewal and resilience. In defiance, the participants took the blood-soaked Assyrian flag along in the parade, demonstrating their unbreakable spirit.

Toma summed up the determination of the community by stating, “We have a cause, and we marched today to show that we have existed here for thousands of years. This attack will not stop our people.”