Shafaq News/ of Thousands of citizens of the town of Khanaqin, gathered on Sunday, in the main arena downtown to express their rejection of government decision of dropping the flag of Kurdistan from official department . Correspondent of "Shafaq News", who attended the event, said that "The big demonstration launched since the early hours of Sunday from Square Krandi in the center of the city of Khanaqin, in which thousands of citizens of various sects  of the city, in the presence of the mayor of the city and party officials and Iraqi lawmakers and representatives of civil society organizations and other public figures ."
"The masses, raising the Kurdish flags, chanted slogans condemning the decision of government of dropping the Kurdish flag from the official department in the city and read the Kurdish national anthem (the watchman ) and the enthusiastic cheers that expressed their love for the flag of Kurdistan." He added.
"Among  the demonstrators were  the mayor of the city, Mohammed Mullah Hassan, the leading figure  in the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the official of organizations in Grimian, Mahmoud Sangawi and the official of section XV of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan, Akbar Haider Sura Mary, and two members of the Iraqi parliament Burhan Mohamed Faraj and Hassan Jihad Amin, and many officials in the city. "He explained .
"The city administration supports and strongly support all the demands of the demonstrators which came out with the different sects of the city," The mayor of Khanaqin said in a speech in the demonstration ,adding that "The administration will transfer  these demands to the relevant authorities because it is a legitimate demands."
"the masses of Khanaqin offered thousands of victims and sacrifices in order to raise the flag of Kurdistan on the city," For his part, the leading figure  of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Mahmoud Singawi confirmed adding that "We will not allow the Ba'athists and the chauvinists and haters of  the democratic process to take the banner of the martyrs of these areas down."
"We see here today that the Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen, all religious sects came calling for raising the flag of Kurdistan in these areas,"  Said Singawi stressing that "The flag of Kurdistan is fixed in the Iraqi constitution, and no one can demoted, nor can any chauvinist power form a centralized state, that persecute the people of this country with all its components. "
Singawi that "The democratic tide sweeping the whole world ushering the era of democracy, freedom and peaceful coexistence among the peoples of the region, and there is no room for the return of dictatorships because the peoples of the world believes in democracy." He mentioned ,  stressing that "some of those who insult Islam and who dream of a return of the Ba'ath to power, are

still anti Kurdistan  flag and peaceful coexistence in the region. "
"The leaders of the Ba'ath entered history cesspit, and that these people   would have also suffered the same fate," He explained ,stressing that "democracy and freedom and the federal pillars have been  laid in the region."
" Khanaqin IS Kurdistani and the flag of Kurdistan should be raised side by side with the Iraqi flag." Singawi noted .
"This is the large crowds that came out condemning this decision is a massive decisive response to this unprepared and hasty decision." For his part, leading figure  of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the official of the Party Fifteenth branch, Akbar Haider Sura Mary said in a statement to "Shafaq  News" stressing that "Some citizens burnt themselves on fire to protest against this decision, so what will Maliki's response  to the masses? ".
Sura Mary indicates that "the Kurdish masses in the city organized this event, and we as  Kurdistani parties themselves are part of the public, so we have decided to participate in, support, help them."
The area of ​​Khanaqin is one of the disputed areas between Baghdad and Erbil by Iraqi Constitution in Article 142, . It is inhabited by  Kurdish majority and Arabs and Turkmen, in varying degrees.