SAN DIEGO — Hundreds of people gathered at Waterfront Park on Saturday as part of a global protest calling on world and U.S. leaders to provide more support to Afghans and accept more refugees.
The rally was one of about 40 around the world on Saturday protesting the killings of Afghan people after the Taliban took over the country.
“We really see that there is pretty much no chance unless we make some noise for this government and for NATO and all the governments related to NATO to get out not only their own citizens, their own personnel, but the people who helped them with their missions for 20 years,” said Mursel Sabir, who is a daughter of Afghan refugees and helped coordinate the rally.
“There are some safety concerns for my Americans that they cannot stay there, but we have to find another way,” said a man at the rally, who does not want to be fully identified due to safety concerns.
He said he was an interpreter for the U.S. military in Afghanistan for five years and is worried for his family stuck in the country.
“Just like I served the military somehow, my family also did,” he said. “All of my family members, they work for the NGOs for the government organizations and now the United States left everyone whose lives are in danger. They’re big targets, that’s why I’m here to be a voice for them because they have no voice over there.”
Sabir said they’re also calling on local elected officials to create a plan for a possible influx of refugees to help them settle safely.
“That statement on a local level actually is a really important thing it indicates on a federal level, the federal government would be able to provide funding and direct its resources,” Sabir said. “It has to the local cities as well.
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