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Solidarity With Rojava

 

On October 6, the Trump administration announced it was pulling US troops out of northern Syria, essentially giving Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan a green light to invade Rojava, carry out ethnic cleansing, and forcibly resettle the area. We are calling for people around the world to engage in protest and/or disruption at Turkish consulates, US government offices, arms manufacturers, and businesses connected with the Turkish government, such as Turkish Airlines.

Since 2012, the autonomous region of Rojava has hosted an inspiring multi-ethnic experiment in self-determination involving a network of councils, communes, and cooperatives, all while fighting the Islamic State (ISIS). After years of struggle, despite sustaining massive casualties, fighters from Rojava participated in liberating all of the territory that ISIS had occupied and freeing those who had been held captive in ISIS strongholds.

In an attempt to justify permitting Turkey to invade Syria, Trump has tweeted that US taxpayers should not have to pay to keep ISIS fighters detained. In fact, the US has not paid a cent to detain captured ISIS fighters; that has been completely organized by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The reality is that the Turkish invasion of Kurdish territory will create the conditions for ISIS to reemerge and resume operations in Syria and around the world. For years, Turkey has permitted weapons, recruits, and resources to reach ISIS through its borders.

Both ISIS and the Turkish invasion pose an existential threat to all the ethnic and religious groups indigenous to the region, including Arabs, Christians (Armenians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Syriacs), Turkmens, Chechens, Alevites, and Yazidis. Many of these groups have gained a voice in their own lives for the first time, yet now face massacre at the hands of the Turkish military and the jihadists.

Turkey’s invasion of Rojava sets a new precedent for military aggression, ethnic cleansing, and the destruction of egalitarian and feminist experiments like the one in Rojava. It sets the stage for more bloodshed and oppression everywhere around the world, paving the way for ethno-nationalist autocrats like Trump, Erdoğan, Bashar al-Assad, Jair Bolsonaro, and Vladimir Putin to dominate world politics for generations to come.

For months, people in Rojava have called for international solidarity in the event of an invasion. We must bring attention to the plight of the people in Rojava and make it known that there will be consequences for this.

To keep silent is to be complicit.

We call on all people of good conscience to organize themselves, protest, and mobilize at Turkish consulates, US government offices, arms manufacturers, and businesses connected with the Turkish government, such as Turkish Airlines. The Rojava Solidarity Committee Europe has joined organizers in Rojava in calling for a day of action on October 12th, against the Turkish invasion; we endorse this call, and call for further actions before and after October 12th.

We need to build a context for broad-based direct action as a step towards building a global movement that can make such atrocities impossible. Together, we can stop the invasion.

See you in the streets.

Upcoming Events & Actions in Solidarity

Friday, November 1st:

Saturday, November 2nd:

Sunday, November 10th:

Thursday, November, 7th:

Saturday, November, 9th:

Timeline of Solidarity Actions

Monday, October 7th:

  • Toronto, ON, Canada: Solidarity protest outside of the US consulate.
  • Anarchist solidarity banners in Appalachia.

Tuesday, October 8th:

  • Solidarity banners dropped in Lincoln, Nebraska. Report and photos here.
  • Washington, DC: Rally held outside of White House by Kurdish groups and antifascists in solidarity with Rojava and against Turkish aggression.
  • Ottawa, ON: Protest outside of US embassy.

Wednesday, October 9th:

  • Boston, MA: Rally outside of capitol in solidarity with Rojava.

Thursday, October 10th:

  • Rally and protest in Atlanta, Georgia.

  • Protests in Toronto take to the streets.

  • Rally in solidarity with Rojava in Montreal.

Friday, October 11th:

  • Solidarity demonstrations take place in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto.
  • Solidarity demonstration in San Diego.

  • Rally in solidarity with Rojava in Nashville, Tennessee.

Saturday, October 12th:

  • Massive day of #RiseUp4Rojava actions around the world. Over 15 cities across North America organized a variety of actions from banner drops, to graffiti, to rallies in solidarity, to full on blockades of airports. See our full roundup here.

Sunday, October 13th:

  • Mass march in San Francisco, CA.
  • Rallies in Los Angeles, CA, South Bend, IN, Seattle, WA, Philadelphia, PA, Boston, MA, and Toronto, ON.

Tuesday, October 15th:

  • Banner dropped in Montpelier, VT.

Thursday, 17th:

  • Rally in Dallas, TX, Trump supporters tried provoke the crowd, but were unsuccessful.

Friday, October 18th:

  • Rally in Lincoln, NB, protest outside of airport in Detroit, MI.

Saturday, October 19th:

  • Mass march in San Francisco, CA, blocks bay bridge.
  • Rally in Toronto.

Sunday, October 20th:

  • Rallies in Phoenix, AZ, Seattle, WA, and Vancouver, BC.

Friday, October 25th:

  • Anarchists organize rally in solidarity with Rojava in Montpelier, VT.

Sunday, October 27th:

  • Solidarity rally in Harrisonburg, VA.

Saturday, November 2nd:

  • Large demonstration shuts down 580 in Oakland.

  • Rally and march in Portland.

  • Rallies in New York, Seattle, Montreal, Los Angeles, and Knoxville, TN.

  • Large march in Toronto.

Resources

Flyers, Posters & Zines

Endorsements

If your organization endorses this call, please circulate this text and contact us at [email protected] to sign on. This list will be updated regularly at crimethinc.com and itsgoingdown.org.

  • Coordination for the Defense of Rojava
  • 1312 Press
  • Acid Communist League of Atlanta
  • Agency (www.anarchistagency.com/)
  • Albany General Defense Committee
  • Horacio Almanza Alcalde
  • AK Press (www.akpress.org/)
  • Anarchist Federation (UK)
  • Anarresti Hacker Union
  • Angry Socialist Community – ASC (@AngrySocialists)
  • Anon Anarchist Action
  • The Anti-Capitalist League (facebook.com/anticapitalistleague)
  • Antifa Sacramento
  • Antifascists of the Seven Hills
  • Antifascistas Belo Horizonte – Brazil
  • Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement (awsm.nz)
  • Asociación de Amistad con Kurdistán (Spain)
  • Atlanta Antifascists
  • The Autonomous University of Political Education
  • The Base
  • Bay Area Mesopotamia Solidarity Committee
  • Black Cat House
  • Black Rose Anarchist Federation – Los Angeles Local
  • Black Socialists of America
  • Bloomington Anarchist Black Cross
  • The Boiling Point Collective (http://facebook.com/pg/boilingpointkzoo/about/)
  • Bonfire Collective, Santa Barbara, CA
  • Debbie Bookchin
  • The Rev. Dr. Colin Bossen, Unitarian Universalist Minister, First Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Houston
  • Boulder County Democratic Socialists of America
  • Breakaway Social Center
  • Brigada 71 – NY Cosmos Supporters (@CosmosAFA)
  • Shane Burley
  • Campus Marxist-Humanists
  • Carne Ross (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyqG-71zOi0&feature=youtu.be)
  • Chicago Anti-Fascist Action
  • Chicago General Defense Committee
  • Noam Chomsky
  • Colorado Springs Anti-Fascists
  • Cooperation Jackson
  • CrimethInc. Workers’ Collective
  • The Dandelion Network
  • Decolonize This Place (decolonizethisplace.org)
  • Demand Utopia Seattle
  • Democratic Socialists of America – Central Jersey
  • Democratic Socialists of America – Cincinnati (dsacincy.org, @dsacincy)
  • Democratic Socialists of America – Communist Caucus
  • Democratic Socialists of America – Harrisburg, PA
  • Democratic Socialists of America – Libertarian Socialist Caucus
  • Democratic Socialists of America – Metro Atlanta
  • Democratic Socialists of America – National
  • Democratic Socialists of America – Sacramento
  • Democratic Socialists of America – San Francisco (Immigrant Rights & International Solidarity)
  • Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) – Bloomington
  • Denver Anarchist Black Cross
  • Direct Action Front for Palestine
  • DC Antifascist Coalition
  • Ricardo Dominguez, Associate Professor, UCSD
  • Earth Strike International (www.earth-strike.com)
  • Economics for Everyone – Olympia (facebook.com/EconomicsforEveryoneOly/)
  • Emergency Committee for Rojava (ECR) (www.defendrojava.org)
  • Extinction Rebellion Seattle
  • The Fayer Collective
  • Fédération Anarchiste – France (federation-anarchiste.org)
  • The Final Straw
  • George Fish, Indianapolis
  • Frontline Organization Working to End Racism (FLOWER)
  • Flyover Social Center
  • Gilets Jaunes de Saillans, France
  • Le groupe libertaire Jules Durand (le-libertaire.net)
  • Andrej Grubačić, Professor and Department Chair, Anthropology and Social Change, CIIS
  • Grupo Erva Rebelde Anarquista (GERA), Porto, Portugal
  • David Graeber
  • A Gralha Self-Managed Social Center – Porto, Portugal
  • Gulf Revolutionary Artist Formation
  • Hispagatos
  • The Holler Network
  • Industrial Workers of the World – Atlanta
  • Industrial Workers of The World – Central NJ GMB
  • Industrial Workers of the World – West Virginia
  • Indy Food Not Bombs (@FNB_INDY)
  • Inhabit
  • International Red Front (https://www.instagram.com/irf.official)
  • It’s Going Down
  • Kali Akuno
  • Kasa Invisível Belo Horizonte – Brazil
  • Knoxville Anti-Fascist Action
  • Knoxville Radical Alliance
  • Leveller Communications (leveller.info)
  • Little Village Solidarity Network
  • Love and Rage Media (@loveandrageNY)
  • The Lucy Parsons Center
  • Midwest Unrest (@MW_Unrest)
  • Minnesota United Against Fascism (@MNUnitedAF)
  • Mulheres pela Revolução (https://www.facebook.com/mulherespelarevolucao/)
  • Murfreesboro Anti-Fascist Action (Mboro AFA)
  • Neighborhood Anarchist Collective (neighborhoodanarchists.org)
  • New York City Antifa (https://twitter.com/NYCantifa)
  • No Space for Hate Bloomington (https://nospace4hate.btown-in.org/)
  • North Valley Mutual Aid
  • Northeastern Mutual Aid and Defense (NOMAD)
  • Noumenon Distro
  • Olympia Assembly (olyassembly.org)
  • Olympia Solidarity Network (olyassembly.org/olysol/)
  • One People’s Project (idavox.com)
  • International Outlive Them Network
  • Pacific NorthWest Antifascist Workers Collective (http://pnwawc.com/)
  • Palestine Solidarity Committee – Blooomington, IN
  • Panic! in the Discord Collective
  • Dr. Ian Alan Paul, Assistant Professor of Emerging Media at Stony Brook University
  • People’s Defense League – South Louisiana
  • PM Press (www.pmpress.org/)
  • Popmob – Portland, OR
  • Progressive Global Commons (@ProGloCommons)
  • A Radical Guide (www.radical-guide.com)
  • rek2 (as individual)
  • Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement- Elm City
  • Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement – NYC
  • Revolutionary Organizing Against Racism (ROAR Collective)
  • The Right to the City – Timisoara, Romania
  • Robert Evans (@IwriteOK)
  • Rojava Azadi Madrid
  • Rojava Montréal
  • Rojava Solidarity Colorado (@RojavaSoliCO)
  • Rojava Solidarity Portland (facebook.com/rojavasolidarityportland/)
  • Rojava Solidarity Seattle
  • Rose City Antifa, Portland, Oregon
  • Georgia Sagri
  • San Gabriel Valley Mutual Aid
  • Santa Barbara Student Activist Network
  • Scuffletown Anti-Repression Committee
  • Seattle Rising Tide
  • Micol Seigel, author of Violence Work
  • Le Social Club (Le-Social.Club)
  • Soflaexit (Soflaexit.com)
  • Solidarity Against Fascism East Bay (SAFEBay)
  • Solidarity and Direct Action – Seattle
  • Sprout Distro
  • Subversión #1312 (Subversion1312.org)
  • Tar Sands Blockade – Texas
  • The Teardown Community
  • The Torch Antifascist Network
  • Union Communiste Libertaire (unioncommunistelibertaire.org/)
  • Voices in Movement
  • A World Without Police
  • Youth Liberation Front (Portland, Seattle, Wisconsin, Carolina, Bay Area, Illinois)