NEWS CENTER – The internationalist alliances “Women Defend Rojava” and “Defend Kurdistan ” together with the feminist organization “Fight Together! For self-determination and democratic autonomy” published an urgent appeal for solidarity and actions in defense of the people of Kurdistan and the revolution in Rojava.
The call for the three initiatives states:
“The Turkish Security Council approved a military offensive in northern and eastern Syria/Rojava at the end of May, while bombs, drones and artillery are killing people and destroying the country’s infrastructure on a daily basis. The self-governing area of Şehba with the city of Tel Rifat, which borders directly on Afrin, and the multi-ethnic, mostly Arab city of Minbic, to the east of Kobanê, were named as targets. Both areas are in the region west of the Euphrates, whose protecting power is Russia. Another Turkish attack means a major humanitarian catastrophe for the region and severe suffering for the population.
Here and there there are also voices in public that Erdoğan is going too far. However, these often relate more to the NATO accession blockade against Sweden and Finland than to human rights, international law or, ultimately, the Geneva Convention.
The scientific service of the Bundestag already declared in 2018 (WD 2 – 3000 – 183/18) that “the Turkish military presence in the northern Syrian region of Afrin and in the region around Azaz, al-Bab and Jarablus in northern Syria meet all the criteria of a military crew”. The Pentagon recently published a report that makes it clear that the Turkish state’s military action in the Kurdish areas is massively endangering the fight against the remnants of “IS” and contributing to its reorganization. There are still no consequences at all, there is no outcry. The NATO countries will not do anything unless the pressure is high enough, as in the 2014 attack by “IS” on Kobanê.
So we repeat:
It is unacceptable that the media and world public watch in silence as a war of annihilation is waged against the Kurds! The Turkish state is increasingly showing its fascist face, making the possibility of a political solution to the conflict increasingly remote. There is no longer a free press, tens of thousands of members of the opposition are in prison, and elections are being rigged. At this moment in three parts of Kurdistan simultaneous military attacks by Turkey are taking place at an extremely high level.
No state, company or institution should maintain good relations with this Turkish government. Germany is currently Turkey’s most important political and economic partner.
For us, internationalism means defending together the women’s revolution, which became the social model in northern and eastern Syria and which takes place in all parts of Kurdistan in many forms of free, democratic self-organization in society and as guerrillas in the mountains. We are also defending the inspiration and confidence for building a radically different world beyond patriarchy, capitalism and the state, which we are also working on here.
People in Kurdistan have to leave their villages, many are fleeing the country, and activists are repeatedly being murdered by drone attacks. With huge amounts of poison gas, bombs and the destruction of the forests, the guerrillas of the HPG and YJA Star are robbed of the space in the mountains of southern Kurdistan that has been established for 40 years. The self-organization and self-defense of the Yazidis in Shengal is threatened and attacked militarily. Attacks on the self-governing region of North and East Syria/Rojava take place daily. The Turkish government announced that it would occupy more areas there. We also see all these attacks as attacks on us, who are working here on a feminist alternative to the existing.
The crisis of the existing order can be seen everywhere – ecocides, climate crisis, wars, pandemics, femicides, refugee movements, food crisis, hunger. We are currently experiencing a rapid militarization and patriarchalization of political (security) discourse and practice. Intensifying war in the name of “peace”, radical rearmament and arms deliveries to war zones are currently a supposed matter of course. It leaves almost no room for contradiction, political controversy and an open search for alternative solutions. The new, so-called “feminist foreign policy” does not bring any alternatives, but rather militarism and pandering to the despotic and misogynistic Turkish president.
The women’s revolution in Rojava means a world based on values of communally based, democratic self-organization. We can also make these visible here through our feminist-antimilitarist practice. This is how we break through the alleged lack of alternatives of patriarchal and warlike “solutions”.
This practice can be a banner on your house or the nearest bridge, a poster in the window, the flyer in the neighborhood mailboxes and on the bar tables, the conversations at work, the information table at an event or in the pedestrian zone, the action before the Gate of the nearest armaments factory or party offices, organizing rallies, publishing articles, participating in central demonstrations and protest camps, visiting responsible politicians, artistic actions and everything you can think of. Do not remain alone with your displeasure, look for allies and become active together. Organize in a feminist way, take part in actions of the Kurdish movement and Women Defend Rojava.
Activities can and should take place every day.
Together with Defend Kurdistan and Women Defend Rojava, we are calling for a decentralized day of action on June 11, 2022.
On June 25, 2022 there will be a nationwide demonstration against Turkey’s war of aggression in Düsseldorf. Buses run from many cities.
Fight together with the people in Kurdistan against war, imperialism and patriarchy and for a gender-free, self-determined, ecological life – another world is possible!”
Among other things, actions will take place in the following cities on June 11:
