The latest attacks against Rojava and the Kurds indicate that a new international conspiracy is underway. Organizations such as ISIS, al-Qaeda, al-Nusra, and HTS—proxy forces of global capitalism in the Middle East—along with status-quo states, have once again mobilized against the peoples’ struggle for freedom and hope. The on-the-ground organization of the genocidal attack that began after the agreement reached in Paris between the United States, Turkey, Israel, and HTS is being carried out by the Turkish state. Granting legitimacy to HTS by labeling it the “Syrian transitional administration” and dressing it in formal attire, and the Turkish state’s use of this ISIS-minded structure as a proxy to attack the Kurds, constitute an attempt to eliminate the Rojava Revolution—a democratic and alternative model in the region. The attack on the Rojava Revolution—which, based on the ideas of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan, enables peoples, beliefs, and cultures to live together democratically and freely on the basis of women’s liberation—is also considered an attack on the hope and solidarity of all progressive forces. Below, we present the views of thinkers, academics, writers, and artists from various countries expressing their solidarity with the Rojava Revolution and the Kurdish people.

Prof. William I. Robinson, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, University of California at Santa Barbara, USA:

“Now is the hour of solidarity with Rojava! The economic, political, moral and ecological foundations of global capitalism are collapsing beneath us. The ruling classes are rushing to consolidate their power and control as the crisis drags humanity down. They have set about to remake the geopolitical map of the Middle East. They intend to rule us through technocratic authoritarianism, blood and capital. What awaits us is a radical expansion of transnational corporate plunder, state domination, and genocide. The Rojava struggle for freedom has shown the world that there can be another future – autonomous power from below, freedom from patriarchy and class domination, democratic pluriethnic and plurinational socialism from the grassroots up. The ruling classes do not want the example of the women and men of Rojava to seep out to the rest of the world. They must fragment, isolate and destroy Rojava. At stake is much more than the Rojava revolution; at stake is the future of humanity.”

Prof. Achin Vanaik, Former Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Delhi, India:

“The Kurdish struggle to institutionalize Democratic Federalism as exemplified by the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), with its commitment to decentralisation of political power, anti-patriarchy and cultural equality among different ethnicities, deserves the strong support of all those who want greater democracy and are against authoritarian rule anywhere. Which is why we must oppose and call for an immediate and permanent end to the military assault and attempted takeover of DAANES by the current Syrian government and its outside backers. Justice demands no less!”

Vijay Prashad, Writer and Director of the Tricontinental: Institute for Social History, Chile:

“It is a tragedy that people who had defended themselves against the ravages of the Islamic State and then defended the Yazidis against the terrible violence that they experienced are now being sold down the river by the US imperialists. Rojava was born through struggle not as a gift. Freedom can never be truly gifted. It has to be fought for and in an age of brutal military technology and of brutal religious sectarianism, the fight is more dangerous since it is against decadent forces. Neither danger nor decay can prevail in the march of history. We will come out and sing songs to those who build our fight when we lift our banners into the dawn.”

Prof. Peter Ott, Filmmaker, Hamburg, Germany:

"To the friends in Rojava:

My dear friends, being a guest in Rojava in 2018 as well as last year, I could experience how seriously the project of democratic confederalism seeks to build a society based on friendship, participation and equality. And to leave behind gender inequality, oppression, corruption and extractivism.

Your project is not only an example for the Middle East, but also for far more remote regions, like, for example, Germany, the place I live in.

What takes place in Rojava for a decade is nothing less than working on the future. Working on the future takes time. Your revolution is also so beautiful because it knows that it has to take its time. After many years of struggle and suffering, after all the dead you have to mourn, you all deserve to take this time and continue developing the society in peace and dignity.

The news of the fighting and bloodshed disturbs me and fills me with great concern.

This aggression must stop; it only serves the interests of old men in securing their privileges and control of resources.

I think of you with all my heart."

Annelies Broekman PhD, Researcher at Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications (CREAF): 

“From Catalonia, I want to express a statement of solidarity to the brave Kurdish people who are resisting fascism and criminality by celebrating women, life and freedom!

From our perspective, the work done in Rojava to build a multi-ethnic and democratic self-administration is the most beautiful project and is giving hope to all the people of the world!

As a woman, because you are protecting and amplifying our voice in society, against the rise of new forms of misogyny and colonialism.

As a living creature, because you are adopting ecologic perspective in a context of environmental destruction and disrespect for all forms of life.

As a free spirit, because you teach us the endurance, the courage and the way to build integrated and empowered communities, fostering deliberation and mutual learning.

The ambition and the broad horizon of your view is an inspiration to all of us and provides experience we all can learn from to transform our reality here. No passaran! Rojava is a global concept and so should be the fight for resistance!”

James Kelman, Scottish novelist, short story writer, playwright, Scotland:

“I stand in solidarity with the people of Rojava, and their resistance to the terrorist horrors practised against them by the Turkish State, and the interim Damascus government. The situation in Aleppo and Kobane exposes the complicity of an international grouping that includes major European and Middle Eastern powers. They look on while deals are done by the Turkish, Israeli and US administrations. The real aim is the old one, to criminalise the entire Kurdish nation.  Only this will justify using their full military might to crush the life out of Kurdistan. It is utterly crucial that the world pays attention, that the veil is lifted, that the reality is uncovered. Only ordinary people can bring an end to these horrors. Ordinary people "are the homeland, the first and last losers of wars and battle." This is the lesson of the Rojava experience. The world must listen. See reality, stand in solidarity.  It is the way ahead, perhaps the only way.”

Fabian Scheidler, author of the book “The End of the Megamachine. A Brief History of a Failing Civilization”, Germany, Berlin:

The assaults by the so-called Syrian transitional government on the Kurdish territories in Northern Syria and its people are unacceptable and a grave violation of human rights; they must immediately be stopped. While the unique project of democratic self-organization in Rojava is brutally attacked, Western governments remain silent. To make matters worse, these very governments, which have claimed to combat terrorism for decades, are now cynically courting and supporting the Syrian regime of the former top terrorist, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has led Al-Qaeda in Syria (later rebranded as Hajat Tahrir al-Sham) and who is now trying to end Kurdish self-determination. We have had enough doublespeak about human rights, democracy, and anti-terrorism. We must push our governments to immediately withdraw all support for the regime in Damascus, stop the killing and defend Kurdish democracy against theocratic state terrorism.

Dr. Dario Azzellini, researcher and documentary director, holds a PhD in political science and a PhD in sociology, Berlin, Germany:

“Déjà vu in Kurdistan?

Kobanê is again besieged by jihadists from three sides and Turkey, the jihadists’ strongest ally, on the fourth side. The situation reminds of 2014-2016, when Daesh and other jihadist militias massacred the predominantly Kurdish population in the rural areas of the region, occupying more than 350 villages. Back then, Kurdish forces, supported by Western countries interested in stopping ISIS. This time, the situation is different. It is the Syrian army, and their allies from jihadist militias armed, trained and supported by Turkey that are attacking Kobane, and the entire Kurdish territories in Syria, torturing and killing the local population and waving jihadist flags, while Western governments are quiet. As the rest of the governments in the world. Syria’s “interim” (nobody knows for how long) president, Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, is their new friend and all bet on him to bring supposed stability. Before becoming self-appointed Syrian president, he was known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, a radical jihadist leader chopping heads of supposed infidels on video with his own hands. He joined Al-Qaeda in 2003 and spent more than 20 years as a wanted or imprisoned terrorist. He was the emir of the Al-Nusra Front (2012 to 2017), and the emir of the terror organization Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) (2017-2025). It is therefore not surprising, that the Syrian army and allied militias are now waving AL-Qaeda and Da’esh flags and murdering civilians.

The Syrian government – as during the past six months – violated every single agreement with the Kurdish forces and launched a broad offensive against the SDF against the territories held by the Kurdish forces and their allies. The Syrian army and jihadist offensive against the Kurds and their allies began with attacks on Kurdish neighbourhoods in Aleppo, accompanied by massacres of civilians. The SDF and Kurdish forces were expelled from the city. The offensive continued in the eastern Aleppo Governorate around Deir Hafir and Maskanah, and was quickly expanded to Raqqa, Deir er-Zor. And Al-Hasakah, taking over the oil and gas fields of the region and freeing thousands of Da’esh prisoners that willingly took up arms again immediately. The attacks are based on pincers strategy brought forward by Syria and Turkey. The goal is clear: Destroy or expel the Kurdish (and not only) population. This development has to be seen in connection to the sectarian military and militia attacks and massacres on Alawites and Druze in the Syrian coastal areas and the interest of the Turkish government to boycott any possible peace process with Kurdish forces in Turkey.

While Kurds and other minorities are massacred once again by Da’esh, the West (and the rest…) looks away. The Kurds, the multi-ethnic SDF, have outlived their usefulness to the US and Europe, since the Syrian jihadists showed their willingness to accommodate with the interests of the US and Israel, they became friends. It looks like the Kurds (and several other minorities with them) are once again left with the mountains as only friends. But this is not entirely true. Their struggle has friends all over the world. The attacks aim at ending the multi-ethnic and multi-religious participatory and democratic self-administration model in Rojava, which is considered a threat by most traditional powers in the region, as well as by the Western governments exactly because of its deeply democratic and multi-ethnic and multi-religious coexistence, defence of women rights and its commons and cooperatives oriented economic ideas. This is also exactly the reason why the attempt to destroy and erase it will not succeed.”

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