RiseUp4Rojava Spring Offensive 2021 - Unite In Resistance

 

1. What is RiseUp4Rojava about?

The goal of the campaign is to create an internationalist front against Turkish fascism and to defend the revolution of North-East Syria, widely known as Rojava, with the pillars of women’s liberation, radical democracy and social ecology. Therefore, different organisations from different countries have come together under a common platform for almost two years now to defend Rojava’s achievements, making the revolution their own.

We identify ourselves with the revolution in Kurdistan, a main struggle against the most developed fascism of our time and for the liberation of women and society. The enemies of the revolution in Kurdistan and in Syria are also our enemies. We oppose the intervention and occupation policies of the NATO-countries and the Russian Federation in the Middle East.

We are different organizations with different views and perspectives on different topics, but we have decided to come together under the umbrella of riseup4rojava by the principals of building an anti-fascist, anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist alliance in solidarity with the revolutionary struggle in Kurdistan against Turkish fascism. The differences between all the organisations as part of the campaign are not something that is in the way of our work together, but something that will push everyone further.

As organisations, groups, and individuals that are not directly part of the campaign, we come to you to present to you the upcoming Spring Offensive; but let us provide a bit more background first. 

2. How has the campaign started and what are recent developments?

Our campaign started about one and a half years ago. On 25^th April 2019, the day of liberation from fascism in Italy, we presented the campaign for the first time in many Italian cities, and on 1^st May 2019, the campaign was present at many demonstrations in several countries.

With the start of the campaign, our goal was to put the key elements of the campaign, the struggle against fascism, against imperialism, against capitalism and the internationalism of revolutionary struggles, into a historical context, making them visible.

The campaign achieved a lot. Through our global resistance and with hundreds of actions in many countries in the form of demonstrations, blockades, occupations, information events, seminars all around the globe, we together forced countries to position themselves regarding the crimes committed by the Turkish fascist state, leading to some countries suspending arms exports to the fascist regime in Ankara. At the same time, by working together, we also contributed to spreading the hope and the practical alternative Rojava shows and fights for daily.

We have shown this together in the last year, for example, in more than 250 actions overall in over 30 countries during the action weekend around 19^th July, the anniversary of the Rojava revolution, and during the action week which started on 1^stNovember, World Kobanê Day – which commemorates that on 1st November 2014, millions of people were on the streets worldwide to express their solidarity with the heroic resistance of Kobanê against the so-called Islamic State, and as a result, a global movement of solidarity, resistance and common struggle has grown – that the Rojava revolution is our common revolution. 

Together with the local structures in Rojava/Northeast Syria, as well as with the Kurdish umbrella organisations in Europe and, among others, with the campaigns Women Defend Rojava, the Internationalist Commune of Rojava, Make Rojava Green Again we have shown and we are dedicated that the achievements of the revolution must be defended and that the continuation and intensification of the war must not be accepted in silence, but must also be prevented by all means.

The war on Rojava has never stopped and the enemies of the revolution – above all the fascist Turkish state – are in constant preparation for the next major invasion into Rojava, also by attempting to further occupy other parts of Kurdistan and by attacking the democratic forces that are resisting this.

Recently, on 10^th February, the Turkish fascist state launched a new invasion to occupy new parts of Southern Kurdistan – with the aim to install a buffer zone between South- and North-Kurdistan, and launching a new offensive onto Rojava – by attacking the Garê-region, which is part of the guerrilla controlled Medya Defense Zones, which ended in a devastating defeat for the Turkish army already on 14^th February due to the heroic resistance of the guerrilla forces. 

The attack against Garê needs to be understood by everybody as an attack against the whole revolution and against all of us, which aimed at the heart of the revolution and the anti-fascist resistance in the region. The guerrilla’s resistance in Garê was a historic victory, but the Turkish fascist state is forced to launch a next big attack with operations against the Medya defense areas, Şengal, Maxmur, and Rojava still being on the agenda. That is why we must continue the resistance against Turkish fascism and against the occupation with all our strength regionally and internationally.

After all, the attacks against the revolution by the fascist Turkish state are only possible because of military, diplomatic, economic, political, technological cooperation of the opportunist imperialist governments, especially of the USA, Western European, and other states, which is why a spring offensive with the aim of strengthening the antifascist struggle globally against fascist rule, capitalist exploitation and imperialist devastation of our livelihoods is so important in our internationalist struggles. 

3. Spring Offensive in Solidarity with the Revolution and the Anti-fascist Resistance in Kurdistan from 13^th March to 8^th May

As RiseUp4Rojava, we call for a Spring Offensive in the time from 13^th March to 8^th May to take a clear stance against Turkish fascism, in solidarity with the revolutionary forces in Kurdistan and to directly fight against the international collaborators of Turkish fascism. Besides this, we want to highlight the struggles that unite and move us globally. Our slogan is “Unite in Resistance – Dem Dema Azadi ye (The Time for Freedom is Now)”.

As part of the Spring Offensive, and to unite in our continuing resistance against Turkish fascism with all our strength, we also call to take action for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan, and all political prisoners, which includes also the practical show of solidarity with hunger strikers (see for example, the connection between Dimitris Koufontinas and the hunger strikers in Turkish prisons). Crucially, the revolution in Kurdistan is a women’s and ecological revolution. Apart from highlighting the femicidal politics of Turkish Fascism, and taking action to smash patriarchy, we also call upon the international ecological movement to practically show the necessity to be antifascist and anti-capitalist. 

Moreover, the martyrs who have sacrificed their lives for this revolution to survive have not died; they live on in our hearts and show us the way. Let us internationally commemorate together the fallen ones of the struggle for freedom and dignity. After all, the Kurdish people do not stand alone, but our international solidarity shows that the revolution in Kurdistan is a source of hope and inspiration for the oppressed and the united antifascist struggle worldwide.

With the RiseUp4Rojava action line to "Disturb. Block. Occupy." we will protest, demonstrate, discuss, and we will directly go against arms companies, the tourism sector benefitting the fascist Turkish state, governments and financial institutions, and we’ll put them under pressure!

At the same time, there will be large scale events at some of the main dates (see below), ranging from demonstrations, rallies, assemblies, and conferences. Take part in the planned actions or become active yourself. Every action counts! Whether information events; webinars; seminars; reading groups; banner, billboard, graffiti, letter and poster actions; demonstrations; blockades of weapon companies; or a flashmob in front of a government building or in a bank. There is a lot that can be done. 

If you announce your action in advance, please send us the information by mail: riseup4rojava@riseup.net 

The HASHTAGs for the action week are:

#RiseUp4Rojava

#UniteInResistance

#SmashTurkishFascism 

Main events:

- 18 March: Political Prisoners Day

- 19 March: Global Climate Action Day

- 19-21 March.: Newroz celebrations and large demonstrations for Newroz

- 21-28 March.: Week of Our Heros (commemorating and remembering martyrs)

- 27-28 March: Regional commemoration marches for martyrs

- 04 April: Abdullah Öcalan's birthday (Creative actions for the freedom and the meaning of Abdullah Öcalan)

- 25 April: 2 year anniversary of RiseUp4Rojava

- 01 May: International Worker’s Day

- 08 May: Antifascist Action Day 

Call:

The joint call with Women Defend Rojava, Make Rojava Green Again, Internationalist Commune, and Tevgera Ciwanên Şoreşger (Revolutionary Youth Movement) for the Spring Offensive can be found here: 

https://riseup4rojava.org/spring-offensive-unite-in-resistance-dem-dema-azadi-ye/ 

Flyers, posters & stickers:

Link for posters, stickers, flyers etc can be found here: https://riseup4rojava.org/materials/ 

Please also make your own flyers and posters, following the concept here, and send it to us, so that we can upload it onto our website for material accessible to everyone. 

4. Outlook

We understand the campaign RiseUp4Rojava as a chance and an opportunity to come together as anti-fascists, anti-capitalists and anti-imperialists internationally. On the one hand, to express our solidarity with the revolution in Rojava, the struggle of the revolutionary people in Kurdistan and the Middle East, and on the other hand, to strengthen our alliance internationally, to oppose Turkish fascism and fascism worldwide. For that reason, we will continue to organize, mobilize and take action.

The Spring Offensive, concluding with the Antifascist Action Day, will be an important part of that and for that reason we invite you to join the planned actions and events, and if possible to organise and get active for this by yourselves. This is important given that the war in Rojava and in all of Kurdistan is ongoing, and a new/continued invasion on Rojava by the fascist Turkish army and their mercenaries is a constant threat. 

While we write these lines, the local forces and population in Rojava/North-East Syria show everyday resistance against the war at the frontlines in Ain Issa, in Til Temir as well as in the occupied areas from Afrin to Girê Spî and Serêkaniyê, knowing and showing that without this resistance the continuous build up of the revolution will not be possible. Turkish fascism will be smashed on two frontlines, one in Kurdistan, the other one internationally. The revolution in Rojava and Kurdistan will be defended on two frontlines, one in Rojava and Kurdistan, the other one internationally. 

With revolutionary greetings and respect,

RiseUp4Rojava Coordination

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RISEUP4R0JAVA 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riseup4rojava_2/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/riseup4rojava 

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/RiseUp4Rojava_/ 

Website: https://riseup4rojava.org/

Make Rojava Green Again Call for Action Days on the 18th and 19th July

Call for Global Action Days on the 18th and 19th July

Together with the campaigns Rise Up 4 Rojava and Women Defend Rojava, we call for two international days of action on the 18th and 19th of July 2020, against the bombing and invasion of Basûr (Southern Kurdistan, Iraq) and the occupation of Rojava regions by the Turkish army.

Together, we call on all people who share the values of democratic confederalism – democracy, ecology and feminism – to take to the streets and to Rise Up 4 the Revolution. From our side, we would also particularly want to call for all ecological groups, movements and parties and to all people who feel and see themselves as ecologists to join the demonstrations and actions. 

War is the antithesis of ecology

We think that to be ecologist means also to be against all the wars of aggression. Because, wars are the contrary of what we, as ecologists, fight for. While we are trying to build an ecological and ethical world where all living things can co-exist in harmony, wars are only further destroying and polluting our planet. 

While we give so much effort in reforesting deserts, in building ecological energy infrastructures, in providing non-polluted and non-toxic food and water to all people, wars can destroy all of it in few days and pollute the soil, the air and the water with long-lasting effects. And this is what is happening today in Bakûr (North Kurdistan, Turkey), Rojava, North-Eastern Syria and Basûr.

Through its invasion of Syria and Iraq, the Turkish state destroys all living: burning fields and forests in Rojava, cutting down the olive trees of Afrin, bombing electrical and water infrastructures, cutting the water flow of major rivers coming from Turkey to Syria, and now for some weeks bombing more than ever the untouched nature of the mountains of Southern Kurdistan, polluting the soil, water and air for an unknown time. 

The Turkish attacks target all places which fight for democracy, ecology and feminism

For years already, the Turkish state, with the occasional approval of NATO, the US and Russia, pursue a genocidal war against the Kurds and other minorities of the Middle East (Êzîdî people, Armenians, Chaldeans, Assirians, etc.) and is now invading Syria and Iraq against all international laws. 

But what they are targeting is the political project that is behind those people: their goal is to put an end to the construction of a democratic, ecologist and feminist area in the Middle East that could spread to the world. Indeed, the Rojava revolution, together with the liberated Arab regions of North-Eastern Syria,  the Free Mountains of Kurdistan, the self-governed Maxmur refugee camp and the democratic Êzîdî region of Sengal are all examples that another way of living is possible outside the Capitalist Modernity. 

These are all places where democratic confederalism is put into practice and where ecological and feminist societies are being built up. Because Rojava, together with those other places inspire so many people in the world, they are a threat to their nationalist, capitalist and patriarchal interests. Therefore, Turkey decided to bomb and burn every inch of those lands. Their message is clear: either surrender to capitalist modernity, or face total destruction of the nature and the people. 

On the 15th of June, the Turkish army shelled Maxmur and Sengal. And some days later they started their ground offensive to invade Basûr (Southern Kurdistan, Iraq) where dozens of bombs are falling every day since then. The 23rd, they also struck Rojava with a drone, murdering 3 women of Kongra Star, the umbrella organization of the Women’s Movement, in a neighborhood of Kobane. Also on the 25th, another drone killed 8 civilians in the province of Suleymaniya. And in the mountains, the war continues. 

This is why we call for international solidarity! We ask all people who believe in the value of ecology, of feminism and of radical democracy to take to the street the 18th and 19th of July for the days of action and to join the preparatory actions worldwide. 

Against all war of aggression, against all fascism and totalitarianism, against patriarchy and capitalism, against the destruction of all nature: 

Rise up for Rojava,

Rise up for the Free Mountains of Kurdistan

Rise up for the Sengal region and Maxmur, and

Rise up for the build-up of an ecological and ethical world!

Alone, we are nothing, but together, we are unstoppable! 

Make Rojava Green Again 

PLEASE LET US KNOW ABOUT ANY PUBLIC EVENTS SO WE CAN ALSO HELP IN MAKING THEM PUBLIC ON OUR WEBSITES AND WITH FRIENDS, TOO! 

Mail to::internationalistcommune@riseup.net

#RiseUp4Rojava

Ecological Crisis and Revolutionary Solutions

ECOLOGICAL CRISIS AND REVOLUTIONARY SOLUTION from Internationalist Commune on Vimeo.

As part of the Global #ClimateStrike, activists from the campaign Make Rojava Green Again spoke with Jiyan, from the young women structures of Rojava.

 Jiyan talks in a 45-minute interview about democratic confederalism, the importance of ecology and the role of youth and young women in building a democratic, free and ecological society. She also sends her greetings to all activists worldwide who are fighting for an ecological society.

FridaysForFuture - Statement in solidarity with Rojava

We, as Fridays For Future groups, condemn the attack of the Turkish army on the

Democratic Federation of North and East Syria / Rojava. We are part of the global

climate justice movement, just as the people in Rojava who are building a society

based on the principles of radical democracy, women’s liberation and in particular

ecology. For this reason, the local Friday For Future Rojava group has called upon us to take action, and we have to stand in solidarity with the people in Northeast Syria who are threatened by the Turkish invasion. We call upon everyone to take the necessary steps to stop this war.

Rojava and the Democratic Federation are examples of the build-up of an ecological,

democratic and feminist society. The aim is to create an ecological and democratic

society, in which the production of goods takes place in cooperatives and in a

decentralised manner, according to the needs of people and in harmony with nature.

This form of democratic and ecological life is responding to the ecological crisis and its different aspects ranging from the climate crisis, monoculture in agriculture to water scarcity and energy supply.

The war of the Turkish state on Rojava is at the same time a deep humanitarian crisis as it is an ecological one. Thousands of people are already fleeing from the attacks that have destroyed the cities and villages of Rojava. The destruction of nature in this war is going to bring about a deep impact on the ecological systems in the region which will make life harder for current and coming generations.

We call for actions in solidarity with Rojava and, in particular, to protest the support of

European governments and companies, that are assisting the Turkish state in its war

against Rojava by weapon exports, diplomatic support and financial help. We are

calling upon the EU to not let itself be put under pressure by Turkey’s threat of letting

refugees enter European territory but to remember the principles of human rights and

democracy it claims to stand for.

Therefore, we call upon everybody to participate in the strikes on Friday,18th October, and to organise and/or to partake in actions under the motto #FridaysForPeace. We further call upon you to build a climate justice block in your regional protests for peace and solidarity this Saturday, 19th October!

Fridays For Future is an international grassroots movement without centralist

structures where each group has the right to take action on its own, but is at the same time united in our goal of building a future worth living for all human beings.

FridaysForFuture, ParentsForFuture and StudentsForFuture groups that

have signed the statement:

If you have any questions, please contact the following address: Press-FFF-Rojava@gmx.de

FridaysForFuture, ParentsForFuture

and StudentsForFuture in Germany:

FridayForFuture Aachen

FridayForFuture Alzey

FridayForFuture Anklam

FridayForFuture Aschersleben

FridayForFuture Bielefeld

FridayForFuture Bochum

FridayForFuture Bonn

FridayForFuture Cologne

FridayForFuture Duisburg

StudentsForFuture Duisburg

StudentsForFuture Frankfurt am Main

FridayForFuture Frankfurt am Main

FridayForFuture Freiburg

FridayForFuture Freising

FridayForFuture Ganderkesee

ParentsForFuture Ganderkesee

FridayForFuture Göttingen

StudentsForFuture Göttingen

FridayForFuture Göttingen

FridayForFuture Hamburg

FridayForFuture Hannover

StudentsForFuture Hannover

FridayForFuture Heilbronn

ParentsForFuture Heilbronn

FridayForFuture Herzogenaurach

ParentsForFuture Herzogenaurach

FridayForFuture Kalamata

FridayForFuture Karlsruhe

FridayForFuture Kerpen

FridayForFuture Kiel-Gaarden

FridayForFuture Koblenz

FridayForFuture District Pinneberg

FridayForFuture Kronach

FridayForFuture Landsberg am Lech

FridayForFuture Landshut

FridayForFuture Leer

FridayForFuture Leipzig

FridayForFuture Leverkusen

FridayForFuture Lübeck

FridayForFuture Freie Universität Berlin

FridayForFuture Ludwigsburg

FridayForFuture Mannheim

FridayForFuture Marburg

FridayForFuture Marktoberdorf

FridayForFuture Mielkendorf

FridayForFuture Murnau

FridayForFuture Neuruppin

FridayForFuture Neustadt an der Aisch

FridayForFuture Nienburg

FridayForFuture Nürnberg

FridayForFuture Oberhausen

FridayForFuture Offenburg

FridayForFuture Ortenau

FridayForFuture Osnabrück

FridayForFuture Rhein-Sieg

FridayForFuture Saarburg

FridayForFuture Salzwedel

FridayForFuture Schleiden / Eifel

FridayForFuture Schwerin

FridayForFuture Schwetzingen

FridayForFuture Sonthofen

ParentsForFuture Sonthofen

FridayForFuture Speyer

FridayForFuture Teltow Fläming

FridayForFuture Trikala

FridayForFuture Uslar

FridayForFuture Weilheim (Oberbayern)

FridayForFuture Wismar

ParentsForFuture Wismar

FridayForFuture Hochtaunus

ParentsForFuture Holzwickede / Unna

ChangeForFuture Germany

HumanistsForFuture Germany

TeachersForFuture Germany

WorkersForFuture Germany

FridaysForFuture in Italy:

FridayForFuture Bari

FridayForFuture Padova

FridayForFuture Scafati

FridayForFuture Vicenza

FridayForFuture Eutin

FridayForFuture Foggia

FridayForFuture Napoli

FridayForFuture Siracusa

FridayForFuture Lecce

FridayForFuture Ischia

FridayForFuture Vicenza

FridayForFuture Pomigliano d'Arco

FridaysForFuture in the USA:

FridayForFuture Washington DC

FridayForFuture Los Angeles

FridayForFuture Rojava

Climate Strike Zürich

FridayForFuture Iran

Exclusive - Interview – Views from the Revolution in Rojava

This interview is with the Rojava Internationalist Commune and Plan C Kurdistan Cluster in the UK, where indicated.

Tell me a little about how the Rojava automatous region was formed?

  

Commune: “Rojava” in Kurmanci means West, because it’s the West of Kurdistan, in the North of Syria. With the so-called Arab Spring in 2012, that shook the existing power structures in many countries in the Middle East, also in Syria people started to protest against the Assad Regime. But even before that, the Kurdish population was organizing itself, on the basis of the ideas of Abduallah Öcalan in the Region of Rojava. Since any political activity of the Kurdish population was forbidden and many activists were put in jail, these organizations were working illegally.

With the uprising of the people in Syria, also Kurds stood up in 2012, pushing out the regime troops and bureaucrats and starting the process of building structures of self-defence and self-administration. That was the first step in the process of forming the  Democratic Autonomous Administration of North-East Syria as we know it today, and that includes way more than just the areas of Syria in which the Kurdish population is the majority. In the resistance against the so-called Islamic State, the forces of self-defence, liberated large parts of Syria so that today this Democratic Federation includes cities like Raqqa and Deir Ezzor.

How is government carried out in Rojava?

Commune: The general system is based on the idea of the self-administration of the people, on the social values and strong participation of everyone. In this sense the political power comes from the local level like neighbourhood and village councils. These councils are forming bigger entities of coordination between each other, and committees for the different aspects of social life, like healthcare, self-defence of the neighbourhood, economy or ecology. In these committees the direct work is done, fulfilling the needs of the people and solving problems of society.

  

It is important not to see it just as a political structure, but also a mindset which this self-administration is built on. Without a political and moral society, there will be no way to build structures of self-administration. To be a political society means the will to participate, to take an active role in shaping your one reality. And to be a moral society means, that there are values in the society and on that basis people make decisions and judge things as right or wrong.

Can you give some examples of where women’s representation in governance has made positive improvements for women?

Commune: Because of the representative function of the governance of the Democratic Federation of North-East Syria, the improvements for women are made in their daily lives, pushed by various women’s organization under the umbrella of Kongreya Star (Star Congress, a confederation of women's organizations) rather than a top down process. 

It is fundamental to the women’s movement to build women’s institutions in every area of life, so that women can free themselves intellectually, economically, emotionally, and spiritually from the authority and violence of patriarchal domination. In every institution of the society, dual leadership – what is called “hevserok” – applies everywhere in Rojava, from the local neighbourhood commune to the executive committee of the federation.

And for all the general institutions a gender quota applies, so that in every council, commission, leadership position or court, women must make up at least 40 percent. Today this quota has been far exceeded in many institutions. Important achievements of the revolution include the establishment of women's cooperatives through which women gain economic independence from their husbands and families. 

And in the Federation, marriages are only allowed from full age, without force, and polygamous marriages are forbidden. But most important is the change in the mentality of the society and the view of women and their growing self-confidence. Women play an active role in all areas of society and also in the military defence of the revolution.

You are running a campaign called ‘Make Rojava Green Again’, tell me more about this?

Commune: The “Make Rojava Green Again” campaign was launched in early 2018 by the Internationalist Commune of Rojava, in cooperation with Committees of self-administration in Rojava, with the aim of supporting and developing a democratic-ecological society in north eastern Syria. The campaign functions like a bridge between Rojava and ecological movements, activists and scientists around the world in term of technical knowledge, ideological discussions and protests on the streets.

In the framework of the campaign, different practical works are done in Rojava, the building of a tree nursery to planting of trees in the Internationalist Academy and in the city of Derik, building a system for reprocessing and developing a project for wind energy. Besides these practical works, with the published book “Make Rojava Green Again”, the campaign functions as a framework for ideological discussion connecting the experiences and realities of different struggles.

In the end we can say, that the campaign is an invitation to participate in our work: to be part of building an ecological society in Rojava and bringing international solidarity to life.

I know that you take inspiration from the writings of Murray Bookchin on Social Ecology. Have you heard of Ecosocialism which is a very similar political philosophy?

Commune: Yes, we have heard of Ecosocialism and we see it in the same line with our search to overcome the ecological crises of capitalist modernity in building a democratic, ecological society on the basis of the liberation of women. It is true, that Öcalan’s writing and also our ecological works take inspiration from the works of Murray Bookchin, who put the ecological question at the centre of his analyses and revolutionary perspective, not seeing it as a contradiction that will be automatically solved by overcoming class society. Significant for us is the historical perspective he empathizes on, analyzing the relationship and interdependence of humankind and nature, identifying the ecological crises as crises of society.

Central for our approach is to overcome the orientalist view on the question of development and progress, acknowledging the values of former societies as reference for our future perspective of a society in balance with nature. And in this sense also challenging the positivist mentality and logic of capitalist indefinite growth and expansion. 

Furthermore, ideas like those formulated in the framework of social ecology or Ecosocialism, are creating for us a positive perspective of humankind, without which any struggle seams meaningless. We believe that people can make life better with their creative power, their understanding of justice, and their will to change. And that in such times as these and in the face of the crises of capitalist modernity, so much seems lost and irrevocable.

With ISIS now in retreat in Syria, will you be able to concentrate your energy on projects other than military operations?

Commune: Even though ISIS is militarily defeated, still there are many cells of armed ISIS fighters, ready to destabilize the region with attacks and assassinations. And against these cells there is still the need for military operations and self-defence. And with the end of ISIS, also the imperialist powers like the US, Russia and regional powers like Turkey and Iran are increasing their attempts to control the area and the revolutionary dynamic in Syria.

For years the fascist regime of AKP-MHP, the two main Turkish political parties, (under the leadership of Erdogan) has openly stated that they do not accept the revolution in Syria, and threaten further invasion with the help of Islamist gangs like former ISIS fighters, as happened last year in the canton of Afrin. As long as different political and military powers are trying destroy this revolution, there is the need for a strong self-defence. And we have seen, that a war that is started by Turkey, will be an even bigger war than against ISIS. So if we are honest, the bigger war is standing in front of us.

But of course also the civil projects are growing massively in the Democratic Federation of North East Syria. Just to look to the rebuilding processes in cities like Raqqa and Deir Ezzor, the massive reforestation efforts made by local municipalities and the investments and energy put into social institutions and projects.

Plan C Kurdistan Cluster: Like our comrades at the Internationalist Commune say, in many ways it’s now that the struggle really begins: the peace may prove far more difficult to win than the war. Of course the fight against ISIS, the so-called Islamic State or Daesh, was long, hard and by no means certain, but the type of enemy meant that some aspects were relatively secure, and the hegemonic powers more or less onside (even if they didn’t and will never support the revolution in any meaningful sense).

We saw some of the dangers of this moment even before the war against Daesh was finished, with the Turkish state and AKP-MHP regime’s fascist and imperialist invasion of Efrin – and, most importantly, the near total silence of global powers then still relying on the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) and YPG/YPJ (People's Protection Units - Women's Protection Units), as well as the absence of so many “friends” who mobilised during the Kobani resistance. Compared to those demonstrations in 2015/16 the Efrin mobilisation was tiny. 

So from our perspective it’s not so much that the end of open military operations (though not the threat, as the Daesh insurgency has begun properly now with attacks and field burnings) provides an opportunity for different projects, but that this is the crucial moment to strengthen our efforts to build widespread practical solidarity.

And this is where internationalist support becomes absolutely essential. There’s a long and rich tradition of revolutionary internationalism, and the Rojava Revolution has produced beautiful examples like the International Freedom Battalion, as well as martyrs like Anna Campbell, the match of any other moment in revolutionary history. But the scale is far, far smaller, for clear material reasons, but this is something that must be recognised and addressed.

Revolutionaries, and especially dedicated revolutionary organisations, must do the necessary work of raising awareness, providing political education, and building practical solidarity campaigns – by which we mean not merely doing a post on social media, but really working hand in hand to provide forms of material support.

You have an international campaign also, called ‘RiseUp4Rojava – Smash Turkish fascism’, what is happening with this around the world and especially in the UK?

Commune: For a long time now we’ve been discussing with different organizations and initiatives in different countries about the possibilities and the necessity to form a global network, uniting in a campaign against the Turkish fascism and in the defence of the Revolution in Rojava. And from these discussions the campaign “RiseUp4Rojava” was built, following the aim to build an international front against Turkish fascism. Of course, this includes exposing and answering the hypocritical policies of the imperialist countries.

Plan C Kurdistan Cluster: RiseUp4Rojava is both an exciting development and an absolutely necessary one. Lacking the mass internationalist movements and organizations of the past, we need to build our own from the bottom up – which is long work, but also provides the opportunity to address some of the mistakes of the past. So it’s really exciting to be building concrete connections across borders, and making plans to not only defend, but to rise up for the revolution – this is the real meaning of solidarity, not when you simply do something for ‘them over there’, but when you really, deeply see them as you and you as them.

In a UK context the campaign gives the opportunity to build this solidarity in the relatively strong anti-arms trade movement that exists here. Of course, this movement is nowhere near as strong as it needs to be, especially since the UK is one of the largest war profiteers in the world, not least selling to the Turkish state, as well as Saudi Arabia. 

Similarly, the anti-war movement is quite liberal, many dedicated campaigners don’t question capitalism or the nation state, some involved don’t even include non-lethal weaponry and technology in their analysis – it’s often simply about not selling to the “bad guys”.

So RiseUp4Rojava provides not only the opportunity to build solidarity with Rojava and the Kurdish Freedom Movement in the UK anti-arms trade movement, but also the opportunity to bring the revolution’s politics to that movement, and help it overcome its current limitations. 

To this end we and other comrades, particularly the local groups federated in the Kurdistan Solidarity Network, will participate in the mobilisation against the DSEI arms fair that happens in London every year, not only in the demonstrations and actions themselves, but also providing literature and workshops about the movement’s theory and practice.

How do you see the future of Rojava in the medium to long term?

Commune: Rojava is the uprising of the people against the system of nation-states, Islamic fundamentalism, and imperialism, on the basis of the ideas of a radical democratic self-government of the people. In this sense the Rojava revolution is the revolution of the 21st century. It would be wrong to hope or to prognosticate the stabilization of this revolution, without general changes of powers structures in the Middle East, first of all in Turkey.

This revolution has to grow, to expand in ideological terms, lighting the fire of resistance and revolution in all the people from Syria, the Middle East, until Europe. If this does not happen, if the ideas of the revolution, their fight for rights and dignity is cut down, curbed in military crackdowns, then the revolution in Rojava has a difficult future. Even if many things have been achieved, it is still a daily fight for a socialist line in the revolution itself.

The biggest threat to this revolution is Turkish fascism. Its imperialist policy, the attempts of cultural genocides against the Kurdish population and other minorities in the Middle East and its geographical expansion in Rojava but also in Iraqi Kurdistan, will only be stopped by a change in the system in Turkey itself.

Links

https://internationalistcommune.com/

https://www.facebook.com/CommuneInt/

https://twitter.com/CommuneInt

https://www.weareplanc.org/

https://riseup4rojava.org/

To Defend Nature, We Must Organize – Greetings from Rojava to the Climate Movement

From the Internationalist Commune of Rojava

As part of the global action day of the climate movement "FridaysForFuture", a solidarity action in the city of Qamislo in Rojava took place on Friday. Together with the city administration of Qamislo, Internationalists from Make Rojava Green Again, students of the Rojava University demonstrated and cleaned up the city.

With banners, shouting slogans, more than 50 students of the Rojava University in Qamislo walked through the city and drew attention to the ecological difficulties, from waste in the city to the global climate crises. With this demonstration the activists took part in the global climate movement FridaysForFuture, which had called for a worldwide action day on Friday.

The banners brought along and carried by the students declared: "To defend nature we have to organize ourselves - system change not climate change", signed as FridaysForFuture-Rojava.

This slogan makes the point: only in a self-organised society, that is able to determine their future outside the logic of capitalist production and inner need to produce and to consume more, there will be no solution to the ecological crises we are facing today. Only in a society, that lives on the values of solidarity, with a holistic understanding about the world, can a future be built.

In the demonstration in Qamislo, Mahir Pir a history student at Rojava University, said that the way we deal with nature and the cleanliness of cities reflects the mentality of any society. Cleanliness in daily life, cities, homes and the preservation and defence of nature, is one of the essential things in life.

The students underlined the importance of leading this action as the youth, because it is in the young people that the strength of society lies. Especially these days, in the global movement for a radical change of the economic and political system, we can see this importance. In the front line, of every Friday demonstration, the young people are marching, claiming a future worth living in.

And as in the defence of the revolution in Rojava, and the Democratic Federation of North East Syria, the building up of the democratic system and an ecological society, the revolutionary youth will play a significant role.

With these actions in Rojava on the second global day of action of the climate movement, the activists also sent their warmest and revolutionary greetings to the people on the streets around the world, and wished them every success in the struggle for a democratic modernity, in harmony with nature.

This is a short video of the event.

What is the difference between Eco-socialism and Eco-anarchism?

I count myself as an eco-socialist, but there are various strains of this political philosophy. They range from the type of eco-socialism practiced in Venezuela and Bolivia, with a centralised government headed by a (male) leader, through to the Green New Deal proposals championed now by social democratic politicians in the US and UK (though first proposed by Green Parties in both these countries). To, at the other end, an anti-capitalist variety, to which I belong, which includes such figures as Joel Kovel and Michael Lowy, who co-authored the first eco-socialist manifesto.

But even within this strain there are different emphasis placed on some aspects of philosophy, chiefly, surrounding the centrality of Karl Marx’s writing on ecological matters. Writers at the Monthly Review such as James Bellamy Foster and Paul Burkett, insist that Marx was an eco-socialist, but others, like myself, are more loosely Marxist. So we first need to be clear what we mean by eco-socialism. Eco-socialism is an eco-centric socialism. I gave a talk about eco-socialism in London, where I defined the main component parts thus:

Metabolic Rift

Nature contains billions of ecosystems, all connected in a finely balanced way, to form what we might call the ‘ecosphere’. Capitalism disrupts and eventually completely ruptures this balance, setting off chain reactions which cannot be cured easily, if at all. Human beings are ecosystems too, and the way the system forces us to live, causes a rupture between us and nature and leads to illnesses like stress, depression and obesity.

And to those who say the ways of capitalism are ‘human nature’, then if this is true, why have we only been living this way for a few hundred years? The only thing natural about capitalism, is that it was invented by creatures of nature, us. And we can just as easily un-invent it – and we should.

Eco-socialist writer James Bellamy Foster has managed to link this to Karl Marx’s notion of an ‘irreparable rift’ between humans and nature, in volume three of Capital.

The Commons

Historically, in Britain and other western nations, people were forcibly removed from common land as it was enclosed, with violence employed, to drive the people off the land and into the capitalist factories in the towns and cities. And today the same thing is happening in developing countries.

By taking away people's alternative way of providing for themselves, they are left with no choice but to move into cities and work often 16 hours a day for meagre pay in factories, where health and safety is non-existent, and female workers are routinely harassed and molested.

When I visited Senegal in west Africa a few years ago, one day I spoke with some fishermen who complained about the factory ships from the European Union, Russia and Japan that were hoovering up all of the fish, so much so, that the local fisherman couldn’t catch enough fish anymore to earn a decent living. Here was a system of managed commons which had fed local people for thousands of years and provided a livelihood for the fishermen, destroyed by the capitalist factory boats. Robbing from the poor - to give to the rich.

You have probably heard of the ‘global commons’ on the internet, peer to peer sharing and free software, which eco-socialists welcome, with the possibilities it provides for living outside of the capitalist system, to some extent anyway.

Ecocentric Production

This is a quote from my favourite eco-socialist writer Jovel Kovel describing our vision of eco-socialism: ‘a society in which production is carried out by freely associated labour, and by consciously eco-centric means and ends’.

I think this phrase covers the production process under eco-socialism neatly. The ‘freely associated labour’ bit refers to the absence of surplus value, profit for capital.

Production would be for ‘use-value’, not ‘exchange value'. It will require useful workers only, doctors, nurses, teachers etc. and there will be no need for work such as pushing numbers around on a computer in a bank in the City of London, which is useless to humanity - and indeed harmful.

What is produced will be of the highest quality, and beauty, and made to last and be repairable. My laptop packed up last week and I put it in for repair. But they couldn’t fix it because they couldn’t get the replacement part – this laptop is only a little over a year old, but it is obsolete. Throw it away, and get another was the advice. This is purposefully a planned obsolescence, to drive demand for new production within modern capitalism.

In Green Party circles you hear a lot about sustainability, or sustainable production, but we eco-socialists prefer the word sufficiency, or sufficient production. Only as much as is needed will be produced, and no more. It should go without saying that the production process will be in balance with nature too.

Radical Democracy

Democracy in an eco-socialist society will devolve all decisions down to the lowest possible level. A series of assemblies, local, town, regional and at least at first, national. The assemblies will be freely elected and each assembly will be subject to recall from the level below, and assembly members should serve only one term. Eventually, the central state will be dissolved.

There are varieties of anarchism too, ranging from the individualist to collective types, but all tend to advocate horizontal leadership rather than hierarchical ones, and tend to pursue ‘statelessness’ as a central aim. Certainly at the left end of the anarchism spectrum the philosophy is anti-capitalist and truly democratic.

Eco-anarchism sits within the anarchist philosophy, it includes a critique of the interactions between humans and non-humans, as well just human ones and aims to bring about an environmentally sustainable anarchist society. Social ecology developed mainly by the writer and thinker Murray Bookchin, is part of this strain of anarchism and many eco-socialists count Bookchin as a part of our tradition.

Bookchin was at first a libertarian socialist, but moved to a more unambiguously anarchist philosophy, though he thought Marx’s thinking and writing was valuable, and was mainly at odds with the Marxist academic establishment in the US in 1960s, who he accused of crowding out anarchist thinking. 

His ideas have been taken up and are presently being practised in the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Syria, known as Rojava. The Democratic Union Party and the Kurdish National Council, joined to form the Kurdish Supreme Committee and the People's Protection Units militia were established to defend their territory. Eco-socialists find great encouragement and inspiration from this experiment, and see it as very similar to what a future eco-socialist society might look like.

There were disagreements between socialists and anarchists in the nineteenth century, with, for example, William Morris the British socialist, who eco-socialists count as one of our own, clashing with anarchists at the Social Democratic Foundation. But the divide really opened up in the twentieth century, mainly because of the successful socialist revolution in Russia and the way it developed, into a nasty authoritarian state with an empire of states around the world and a very powerful military.

Eco-socialists hold the same sort of view as anarchists of this twentieth century, actually existing socialism, and think that the Russian revolution took socialism in the wrong direction, away from a truly libertarian path socialism had promised, and Marx wrote about. Marx’s ideas on ‘freely associated labour,’ was nowhere to be seen in the USSR or the other actually existing socialist states.

After the necessary anti-capitalist revolution, a peaceful one hopefully, eco-socialists believe that some sort of ‘central state’ will be needed, which is not the view of anarchists, by and large, but this should be time limited. I think central direction will be essential, to set in train a process which will lead to eco-socialism, but its aim should also be to dissolve itself as soon as possible, certainly in no more than ten years, and probably less than this.

I know that many anarchists are wary of socialists calling for ‘left unity’ and with good reason. Too many present day socialists are unreconstructed, and often shamelessly so, that eco-socialists despair of them too. So, I’m not really calling for a unity with these types of people and their philosophies, but I would ask that anarchists take a fair look at eco-socialism, particularly eco-anarchists. In my view, there are so many similarities between the two philosophies, and not many differences.