ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – President Masoud Barzani on Monday rejected campaigns targeting Syrian Arab refugees in the Kurdistan Region following the violent clashes in Aleppo’s Kurdish-majority neighborhoods, saying acts of discrimination are “incompatible” with Kurdish values.

The Kurdistan Region has experienced a surge in anti-Syrian sentiment in recent days, with much of the general public starting to boycott Syrian restaurants and shops in the Region, and some advocating for cutting relations with the neighboring country entirely over reports of human rights abuses targeting Kurdish residents of Aleppo during the recent conflict.

Employers from across the Region were reported to have sacked their Syrian workers, while some segments of the population went as far as taking to the internet to spew hatred and incite violence toward Syrian refugees.

In a statement on Monday, President Barzani stressed that all Syrian Arab refugees “must be respected,” and that “this inappropriate campaign must be stopped.”

“Such campaigns are inappropriate and incompatible with the principles and values of the Kurdish people and are against the policy and general view of the Kurdistan Region’s institutions,” said the Kurdish leader.

Amid the recent violent clashes between Damascus-affiliated factions and the Kurdish-led internal security forces (Asayish) in Aleppo’s Kurdish-majority neighborhoods, fighters linked with the Syrian government were filmed desecrating corpses, insulting detained residents, and vandalizing Kurdish symbols, drawing outrage and condemnation among Kurds at the Kurdistan Region and across the world.

“The responsibility for committing a crime by one person should not be placed on other people who had nothing to do with the crime,” said Barzani, urging relevant authorities to prevent the repetition of such trends.

In the hight of the Civil War, the Kurdistan Region became one of the primary destinations for Syrian asylum seekers.  The Region still hosts around 265,000 registered Syrian refugees, according to official data.

More than 100 people were killed during the Aleppo conflict, according to rights monitors, with hundreds more injured and over 150,000 displaced.

Syria's foreign ministry on Saturday extended its gratitude to international and regional actors, including President Barzani, for their role in promoting stability in the country during the Aleppo clashes.

Barzani on Friday held a phone call with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to discuss the conflict, stressing the need to ensure the rights of Syria’s Kurds and all other components.