{"id":28885,"date":"2024-01-08T20:04:04","date_gmt":"2024-01-08T20:04:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/?p=28885"},"modified":"2024-01-08T23:07:14","modified_gmt":"2024-01-08T23:07:14","slug":"womens-delegation-from-scotland-to-rojava","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/2024\/01\/08\/womens-delegation-from-scotland-to-rojava\/","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s Delegation from Scotland to Rojava"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following article was written by the Women’s Delegation to Rojava and was first posted by bella caledonia<\/a>. This is one of several \u00a0articles we have posted abut the situation in Rojava, which shows reasons to be optimistic under the most challenging conditions<\/strong><\/p>\n

WOMEN’S DELEGATION TO ROJAVA<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Arin Mirkan square in liberated Kobane, pivotal in the fight against ISIS. Photo Credit: Jennifer Clapham<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Christmas eve as bombs dropped on Palestine, Turkey began a fresh assault on Rojava, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, destroying critical infrastructure, like power plants and grain storage, and killing civilians. Like Palestine, the ongoing struggle in Rojava is a decades (if not centuries) long fight for collective liberation and self-determination. The ongoing revolution has established a region-wide system of grassroots democracy led by women\u2019s liberation. Such liberatory realities will always be a threat to established power structures and the most recent escalation is no coincidence. Turkey\u2019s president Tayip Erdogan has already made two full ground invasions of Rojava, annexing the Afrin region in 2018, and Serekaniye in 2019. Now, he undertakes another aggression knowing that attention is elsewhere. As the events of the past few months have made visible the necessity and reality of anti-imperial struggle for so many, a group of women from Scotland who visited Rojava in 2023 reflect on the lessons from what they witnessed there for anyone interested in anti-colonial movements.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Why did we go?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We travelled to Rojava in spring 2023, where we met with women\u2019s groups under the umbrella of the confederal women\u2019s organisation, Kongra Star<\/a>. We are all organisers or activists at home, with diverse backgrounds both culturally and in struggle: such as migrant justice, feminism, anti-capitalism and campaigns against the arms trade. In different ways, we could all see ourselves reflected in the struggle and the achievements of the Rojava revolution. We all have questions, now more than ever, about how we can change the world we live in for the better, and we felt we could learn a lot from the political process there.<\/p>\n

The Kurdistan Freedom Movement has a tradition of grassroots organising and challenging oppressive power structures instead of recreating them. The revolution has followed this philosophy, not basing the organisation of society on nationalist or ethnic lines. Kurds, Arabs, Syriacs, Ezidis and all the people of the region self-organise and develop their own strengths, coming together in structures that treats diversity as strength. Together they have created the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and are transforming their society at all levels. The philosophy of Abdullah \u00d6calan, with its proposals for Democratic Confederalism (the organisation of society through democratic self-organisation not state institutions) and women\u2019s liberation, is the beating heart of a revolution which has been going on for over a decade. Kurdish women had been organising for many years when opportunity for revolution arose in 2012, at which point the people of Rojava, because of this committed long-term work of organising and education, were prepared to build up a society based on women\u2019s freedom and gender liberation, pluralism, ecology, grassroots democracy and self-governance.<\/p>\n

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The special cemetery in Kobane for those who were lost in the war. Photo Credit: Jennifer Clapham<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

What was our experience there?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was one thing to read about it all and another to see it \u2013 and in just under two weeks, there was a lot to see. We clambered in and out of cars several times a day, bouncing on dusty uneven roads to one meeting after another. We filed in and out of offices, halls, yards and canvas tents, to sit on plastic chairs, colourful sofas, or cushions on the floor. We met with dozens of organisers, most of them women, who explained their stories to us with a dignity and a sense of self that was awe-inspiring. They patiently answered our questions as we hungrily tried to imprint everything on our memories. In between meetings, we were hosted in family homes, fed more than we could eat, and made friends despite language and cultural barriers.<\/p>\n

On our first day, we visited a Jineoloji Academy, Washokani refugee camp and Jinwar village. We learnt about the work and research of Jineoloji in the first meeting: it is a science of life, society, and the creation of a new world based on women\u2019s and ecological liberation. The aim of their analysis of oppression is to solve social problems, rather than merely theorise about them. In our discussion, we compared the Western rhetoric of \u201crights\u201d to the concept of \u201cfreedom\u201d in Rojava. In our organising in Scotland, we often come across tendencies to rely on governance structure to grant rights and solutions \u2013 e.g. by lobbying for laws or asking for grants. Freedom, as the women from the Jineoloji Academy explained to us, consists in autonomy and self-empowerment. It needs to be built from the ground up and cannot be granted from above. This encouragement of the flourishing of autonomy through collective action showed us how Rojava is a microcosm of all the world\u2019s social problems and provides inspiration for women\u2019s struggles in Scotland as well.<\/p>\n

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Arriving at Washokani refugee camp. Photo Credit: Jennifer Clapham<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

When we visited the Washokani refugee camp, we spoke to the women\u2019s group there. The inhabitants of the camp were displaced by Turkey\u2019s 2019 invasion of Serekanye, and their aim is to return to their homes. In the meantime, despite the difficulties of living in a camp with a shortage of basic necessities and no support from international NGOs, they are also autonomously organised as women. The camp is run through collective decision-making with a system of communes and assemblies, and their group makes sure women\u2019s voices are heard. We saw that Heyva Sor, the Kurdish Red Crescent, had a strong presence on site, as the only group providing medical support. As we were leaving the camp, we passed a group of children flying kites made from plastic bags and playing ball \u2013 we had no choice but to join in, moved by their commitment to joy and life during a time of displacement and war.<\/p>\n

The women-led aspect of the revolution goes beyond autonomous women\u2019s organising and encompasses the liberation of children and families as well. At Jinwar Women\u2019s Village, which started 6 years ago as one of the only women\u2019s villages in the world, we learnt about how they also organise a regular children\u2019s assembly. Its purpose is to extend democracy to the youth by encouraging them to self-organise, solve their problems, and share skills, ideas and culture. The village also embraces herbal medicine and deepens the connection to the land through growing their own food; a testament to the administration\u2019s aims of caring for the environment and sustainability. After the discussion, we shared a delicious meal made with local nutritious ingredients, and it was easy to agree with the following message, voiced earlier in the day by one of the village\u2019s inhabitants: \u201cWomen are the heart and driving force of democracy \u2013 when we come together and feel together, no one can defeat us\u201d.<\/p>\n

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Jinwar women\u2019s village. Photo Credit: Jennifer Clapham<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

We had all these experiences in just one day and met with many more dedicated revolutionaries over the course of the delegation; women organising to end gendered violence through transformative justice, women\u2019s workers\u2019 co-operatives working on economical sustainability, neighbourhood assemblies, councils and offices in different regions, groups supporting disabled people, and women\u2019s self-defence forces like HPC-Jin (Women\u2019s Neighourhood Defence Forces) and YPJ (Women\u2019s Defence Units).<\/p>\n

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Meeting with the women who run domestic violence resolution centres. Photo Credit: Jennifer Clapham<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Messages to Scotland and learnings for us<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was clear how much we were learning and what we were getting out of the experience. We had to ask ourselves what they felt they were getting out of giving us so much time from their busy lives. Usually, the answer came in the form of a smile and asking us to build our own revolution at home. We shuffled awkwardly, asking if there were key messages, they wanted us to bring out to the world, while we work on that one.<\/p>\n

Spreading the word about the revolution, and the Turkish state\u2019s attempts to destroy it is a start. Rojava is a living example of how we can organise ourselves and society differently. It is direct democracy, with women involved at every level of organising, a new society with communal living at the centre. It is messy, imperfect, and still not complete \u2013 but it shows it is possible. At a time when it is hard to find any light, we must hold onto and know that a better world is possible.<\/p>\n

The women of North and East Syria are not asking for anyone\u2019s help and are more than capable of changing their own world. Still, we were reminded many times of the UK\u2019s responsibility in the arms trade that leads to the bombs dropping on Rojava, and the complicity of global powers in the Turkish state\u2019s attacks on infrastructure. The neighbourhood communes and assemblies there lamented the shortages of water and resources, which are problems with material roots in the UK. For example, BAE systems \u2013 who have multiple sites in Scotland \u2013 are helping Turkey develop their own aircraft.<\/p>\n

In addition to drone strikes and shelling of infrastructure, Turkey also targets political organisers, particularly women. We have already looked on, horrified, as Yusra Darwish, a friend who welcomed us with tea and discussed neighbourhood organising with us, was killed in a Turkish drone strike in June. Now we are watching as power stations, water supplies, hospitals and even the region\u2019s only oxygen factory, are targeted in an effort to break the will and the ability to survive of the people of the region. The fabric of everything that made such an impression on us, that has become an inspiration for radicals all over the world, is under attack.<\/p>\n

Call to Action<\/strong><\/p>\n

States that destroy infrastructure, kill civilians and deny people the right self-determination are a threat to democracy and liberation everywhere. And if we believe in a fairer, just world for everyone, then we need to stand up and fight against it. We can start by breaking the silence. Share your knowledge of these attacks with your friends, discuss it with your family, and post about it online. Follow news sites like the ones detailed below.<\/p>\n

You can also donate to Heyva Sor a Kurd (Kurdish Red Crescent) who are on the ground in North-East Syria providing vital humanitarian and medical assistance (details at end).<\/p>\n

Lastly, join, support, or set up a local solidarity group, such as the Kurdistan Solidarity Network or Scottish Solidarity with Kurdistan.<\/p>\n

Stay up to date on events in the region:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

ANF News (https:\/\/anfenglishmobile.com\/<\/a> ) or Medya News (https:\/\/medyanews.net\/<\/a>). As well as groups such as the Rojava Information Centre (Twitter: @RojavaIC ) or Riseup 4 Rojava (https:\/\/riseup4rojava.org\/<\/a> ).<\/p>\n

Solidarity networks:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/kurdistansolidarity.net<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ScottishSolidaritywithKurdistan\/<\/p>\n

DONATE TO HEYVA SOR HERE<\/b><\/p>\n

Bank account
\nHeyva Sor a Kurdistan\u00ea e. V.
\nKreissparkasse K\u00f6ln
\nIBAN: DE49 3705 0299 0004 0104 81
\nBIC\/SWIFT: COKSDE33XXX
\nReference: Rojava<\/p>\n

PayPal: paypal.me\/heyvasorakurdistane
\nContact and further information: www.heyvasor.com
\nE-Mail: heyvasor@web.de
\nPhone: +49 (0) 2241 975 25 83
\nInstagram: heyvasor
\nTwitter: @Heyva__Sor
\nFacebook: Heyva Sor a Kurdistan\u00ea e.V.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/kurdistansolidarity.net\/2023\/12\/25\/berivan-zubair-is-immortal-attacks-on-rojava-december-23\/<\/a><\/p>\n

7.1.24<\/strong><\/p>\n

______________<\/p>\n

also see:-<\/p>\n

Turkey is trying to bomb Rojava out of existence \u00a0– Sarah Glynn, bella caledonia<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
Life imprisonment from the age of 14 \u2013 a Turkish show trial – Sarah Glynn, bella caledonia<\/a><\/h6>\n
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Earthquake in Turkey: the state versus the people – Sarah Glynn, bella caledonia<\/a><\/h6>\n

Natural and unnatural disasters in Rojava, north east Syria and south west Turkey – <\/strong>Giacomo Sini and Alessia Manzi, bella caledonia<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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