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Aug 6, 19

Don’t Allow the Turkish State to Finish Where ISIS Failed

“We lived under a great tyranny. But in these last few years, we found peace. Now the Turkish state threatens to invade us. But we do not accept this invasion, and we will resist. We will not allow it.”

– Kokeb Merciyan, Armenian living in former ISIS controlled territory

Under the guise of creating a “safe zone,” the Turkish State continues to threaten to invade Rojava, (the autonomous region of western Syria), along with other sections of the territory. On the ground, people are mobilizing and calling for support. If an invasion does take place, it threatens to pull the region back into civil war and slaughter a whole generation that has grown up in the autonomous territories under Democratic Confederalism as well as comrades from all over the world who have come to defend it against ISIS.

As the Internationalist Commune wrote:

Over the last days and weeks the threats against the Democratic Federation of Northeast Syria have reached a new level. Tanks and heavy guns are already waiting at the Turkish border, F16 fighter jets are ready to go and the Turkish occupying army is preparing to wipe out the Democratic Federation. In their wake, tens of thousands of members of Islamist gangs will march into Rojava and Northeast Syria. What this means is what we see every day in Afrin, the territory occupied by Turkey: murder, rape, torture and the expulsion of the local population. A new war would plunge Syria and the whole of the Middle East into renewed chaos and drive hundreds of thousands of people into flight from Turkish troops and their Islamist mercenaries.

In the face of the Turkish state building up military equipment at the border, people have continued to amass themselves in order to create a human shield. As one young Arab woman speaking to ANF News stated:

“We as the peoples of the region resist here. Erdogan has his sight set on our lands, but we are here against that, in a human shield action. We will not allow our lands to be invaded again. Women and all the citizens will defend our lands, our honor and our city. We as the young women and all the youth are preparing to resist. We will not accept the invasion. Turkey wants to divide us but we stand united against the invasion.”

US officials have pushed for talks between Turkey and representatives of the autonomous region, however Erdogan and his nationalist supporters have been clear that they want nothing more than the total destruction of the Kurds:

President Erdoğan commented on the negotiations on a security zone as follows: “Whatever happens, we are determined to smash the terror corridor in the eastern Euphrates. We do not need permission for that.”

Erdoğan’s coalition partner Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the MHP (Nationalist Movement Party) said, “Northern Syria must be set on fire, they must be shown the strength of the Turks.”

A central desire of the Turkish State to expand into Rojava and take control of the region is to ensure safe trade routes that would also mean security for a steady flow of oil into the Mediterranean.

Members of Anarchist Struggle, a group fighting ISIS in defense of the Rojavan Revolution and alongside the YPG/J, wrote in a statement:

Turkey is once again threatening the self-determination of the people of Rojava. As is the tradition of the Turkish State, Erdogan is vying to move his genocidal military and mercenary collaborators across the border in order to proliferate the Turkish nationalist project. The world has since witnessed the brutal atrocities that have been and continue to be carried out in Afrin where the Turkish military and TFSA thugs occupy a once peaceful area. Those in Afrin who chose not to flee have been subject to: arbitrary executions, kidnappings, systematic rape, and torture at the hands of their occupiers. We cannot allow another Afrin to happen. It is essential that we stand in direct material solidarity with the people of Rojava and their struggle for survival against such an adamantly hostile power to the north.

It is not enough to simply voice our support. We must act! While the TFSA mercenaries alone are not a well developed fighting force, the support from Turkish heavy weapons and air force in particular gives them an overwhelming advantage. Instead of going to Turkish embassies or other government institutions, we call on people to move on the companies that supply the drones, fighter jets, bombers and helicopters to the Turkish military. These companies are disproportionately American. The Predator drone in manufactured by General Atomics, the f-16 fighter is made by General Dynamics, some bombers are created by Boeing and many of their helicopters are supplied by Sikorsky.

In solidarity with Tekoşîna Anarşîst (Anarchist Struggle)! In solidarity with YPG/J, QSD and all forces fighting the Turkish invasion!

Long live the people’s resistance!

The Internationalist Commune went on to ask for solidarity from people worldwide:

But if the Turkish government and its henchmen expect their extermination fantasies to become reality, they have not taken into account the resistance of the women’s and people’s defense units (YPJ/YPG) and especially the resistance of the people in Northern and Eastern Syria. Those who have defeated the Islamic state through the sacrifice of thousands of martyrs and the courageous resistance of the population will defend the self-governing areas against a Turkish invasion.

We must all do our part and fulfil our responsibility of defending this revolution!

The military, economic and diplomatic cooperation between Turkey, the USA, NATO and European countries must be exposed and politically attacked. No support for Erdogan, his regime and his war! No arms supply and no financial or political aid to the Turkish extermination policy!

If democratic movements decide to put the issue on the agenda: in the media, on the streets, in the factories, businesses and classrooms of their countries, then we can develop a common force against Turkey’s war plans. We must build a permanent political resistance capable of preventing cooperation with Turkish fascism in our countries.

Should it come to Day X, the beginning of a Turkish invasion: take to the streets, take actions, occupy, disrupt and block! Show those responsible in the government offices and company headquarters what you think of their war!
Together we can stop the war of aggression of Turkey! No war against Northern Syria!

The revolution in Northeast Syria will win, fascism will be smashed!

Be sure to follow all these accounts for more information as the Turkish government continues to push for war and destruction of Rojava.

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In search of new forms of life. It's Going Down is a digital community center and media platform featuring news, opinion, podcasts, and reporting on autonomous social movements and revolt across so-called North America from an anarchist perspective.

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