We stand with Rojava and Palestine

Written by: Nick G. on 13 October 2023

(Above: Fereh Ednan El Xayir and injuries from Turkish bombing)

At the same time as the Israeli Zionist regime’s war against Palestinians, the Turkish fascist regime is unleashing war against the liberated Rojava region in north-eastern Syria.

Rojava is an area liberated from ISIS by the People’s Defence Units (YPG) and the Women’s Defence Force (YPJ) which are predominantly Kurdish organisations, but also include other Arab peoples.

Rojava is more than a location: it is also a political movement that emphasizes decentralization, gender equality and the need for local governance through direct democracy. The YPJ is an armed group which has won acceptance for its opposition to patriarchy and its fight for women’s rights.

The existence of Rojava challenges the Turkish state’s oppression of its own Kurdish minority.

In recent times, the Turks have targeted YPG and YPJ fighters with bombers and murderous drone attacks. This has intensified since international attention has focussed on Gaza.

On October 9, 29 members of Rojava’s Internal Security Forces’ Anti-Narcotics Unit were killed in a Turkish drone attack on their headquarters in Derik.

Infrastructure and civilians were also targeted. 

In Tirbespiye the Girdahol gas facility was targeted. In Derik, Turkish warplanes bombed the oil field in Teqil Beqil. 60-year-old civilian Wasil Hesen El Mihemed was injured in a Turkish attack on the Ewda gas facility in eastern Tirbespiye.

10-year-old Nadiya Mehsin el-Eyaş and 9-year old Ali Ahmed el-Eyash were killed in a Turkish shelling on Ayn Issa. 

Fereh Ednan El Xayir, a young Kurdish woman who was picking cotton on a field when she was wounded by a Turkish bomb, lost both of her legs due to her heavy injuries.

On October 12, Turkish police attacked a protest held in solidarity with Rojava in Riha (also known as Urfa) in southeastern Turkey. 35 people, including Green Left Board members, Riha Youth Council members and 15 internationalist friends, were detained.

The Green Lefts declared “We will not bow to oppression policies. We will continue to defend Rojava.”

Turkiye’s President Erdogan correctly condemns human rights violations in Gaza but at the same time is perpetrating a genocide against Kurds and causing child casualties in Rojava.

We stand with Palestine.

We stand with Rojava.

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