The protesters followed the coffins of seven people, including two women and at least one child, who were beheaded by IS in recent days.
The seven victims were Hazaras, an ethnic minority group of Muslims of Mongol descent. They were among 53 Hazaras who have been kidnapped by IS since March, according to a CNN report.
The Hazaras, whose bodies were carried in coffins through the streets of Kabul, were decapitated with razor wire, according to Al Jazeera.
Protesters included members of several ethnic groups, including Pashtuns, Uzbeks and Tajiks, along with Hazaras.
“We will continue to fight for the safety of our family,” civil rights activist Shahzaman Hashemi told Al Jazeera. “This is our right to feel safe. Whatever happened to those women and children can happen to us as well.”
Afghan security forces fired into the air in an apparent attempt to disperse protesters who were trying to break through the gates of the presidential palace.
“The deliberate murder of civilian hostages, including women and children, is particularly abhorrent,” Nicholas Haysom, the top UN official in Afghanistan, said in a statement. “These senseless murders may amount to war crimes, and the perpetrators must be held accountable.”
On Monday, Afghanistan’s president condemned the murder of the seven Hazaras, with his office calling it an “atrocious act” and a “sign of desperation” that shows that “the enemies of Afghanistan … have been defeated on the battlefield by our security and defense forces.”
The Afghan government announced a national day of mourning on Wednesday.
