• Disrupting Power Since 2015
  • Donate
  • Login
Thursday, May 22, 2025
  • Login
  • Register
Canary
MEDIA THAT DISRUPTS
  • News
    • UK
    • Global
    • Analysis
    • Trending
  • Editorial
  • Features
    • Features
    • Environment
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Money
    • Science
    • Business
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Sport & Gaming
  • Media
    • Video
    • Cartoons
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
MANAGE SUBSCRIPTION
SUPPORT
  • News
    • UK
    • Global
    • Analysis
    • Trending
  • Editorial
  • Features
    • Features
    • Environment
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Money
    • Science
    • Business
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Sport & Gaming
  • Media
    • Video
    • Cartoons
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
Canary
No Result
View All Result

We need to stand up against Erdoğan’s threats to invade Rojava

Tom Anderson by Tom Anderson
6 October 2019
in Editorial, Global
Reading Time: 4 mins read
163 9
A A
1
Home Editorial
320
SHARES
2.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been making new threats to launch an invasion of Rojava in Northern Syria.

Erdoğan has been escalating his threats of a new invasion throughout the week. On Saturday 5 October he said that it could happen “as soon as today or tomorrow.”

Troop build up

The Turkish military has been moving more military vehicles and troops to the town of Akcakale and city of Şanlıurfa, across the border from Rojava. An internationalist volunteer who is currently in Rojava told The Canary:

There were sounds of planes overhead pretty much all night into the early morning. We read on Twitter that it was [joint flights by] the Coalition and Turkey. But we have no way of confirming that first hand.

Thousands march in Serekaniye

Thousands of people joined a march in the city of Serekaniye in Rojava on Sunday 6 October in anger against Erdoğan‘s threats.

Threats to crush a revolution

Since 2012, a revolution has been taking place in Rojava, Northern Syria. Rojava is the area of Kurdistan which lies within the borders of Syria. The revolution in Rojava is based on the values of women’s freedom, direct democracy, and creating a collective ecological society. Erdoğan sees the revolution in Rojava as a threat to his own dictatorial nationalism, and wants to destroy it.

Erdoğan’s stated aim is to secure Turkey’s border with Syria. But in fact, Erdoğan wants to stamp out the hope which has been created by the ideas of the Rojava revolution. Ideas which also have deep roots inside Turkey’s borders.

Ongoing occupation

Turkey and its allied militias invaded and occupied Rojava’s Afrin region in 2018. Since then, according to the Rojava Information Centre:

Turkish-backed militias have begun to impose sharia law, kidnap, murder and torture civilians, and commit human rights violations possibly amounting to war crimes.

According to the #RiseUp4Rojava campaign:

While hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced from Afrin by jihadist gangs supported, equipped and monitored by the Turkish army, these jihadists and their families are settling and exploiting the resources of the people. They are selling the symbol of Afrin itself, olive oil from olive trees that have been cultivated there for hundreds of years, through Turkey to Spain and other European countries. This is what the Turkish state means when it claims to be securing its border: ethnic cleansing and jihadist gangs attacking the local people.

Constant threats

Erdoğan‘s current threats to the region are only the latest. In fact, ever since the revolution took place, Rojava has consistently been threatened with invasion by the Turkish regime.

Rise Up for Rojava

Earlier this year supporters of the Rojava’s revolution launched an international campaign for Rojava. A statement from the campaign reads:

We must expand our actions, connect them and internationalise them. We have to trespass from a politics of protest to permanent political resistance. The Turkish army is firing their weapons, and NATO is providing the ammunition. The people of Kurdistan and Northern Syria are already responding to these attacks. We, as anti-fascists and revolutionary forces, will take action – through occupation, blockade and disruption – against the places of military, diplomatic and economical cooperation for Turkish fascism in our countries.

#Riseup4Rojava organised actions across Europe in September, including against Turkey’s involvement in London’s DSEI arms fair. International action is being called for against the companies which are supplying weapons to the Turkish state. A boycott campaign has also been launched. With holidaymakers being asked not to take their vacations in Turkey.

Defend the revolution

We need to keep our eyes on what is happening in Northern Syria, and take action against the Turkish state’s militarism wherever we are.

The victorious Kurdish hunger striker Leyla Güven recently said “Hope is more precious than victory”. The hope that the Rojava revolution represents needs to be defended.

Featured image ANF Firat

Tom Anderson is part of the Shoal Collective, a cooperative producing writing for social justice and a world beyond capitalism. Twitter: @shoalcollective

Share128Tweet80
Previous Post

Dustin Lance Black calls on people to rally against rise of nationalism

Next Post

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe questions detention as Australians freed from Iran

Next Post
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who’s jailed in Iran, to ‘send daughter home to UK’

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe questions detention as Australians freed from Iran

Thomas Cook refund website crashes shortly after opening

Jeremy Corbyn and football in a football net

Corbyn renews the call to bring football back to the people and it's resonating with fans

Two huntsman and hounds on Long Mynd

A major National Trust estate in Shropshire will be free from hunting this year

Ofcom to address the BBC’s ‘lack of transparency’ in Naga Munchetty rulings

Please login to join discussion
horoscope
Horoscopes

Horoscope today: your 24-hour briefing for life, love, and more

by Steve Topple
22 May 2025
Israel Netanyahu
Analysis

Verbal condemnation of Israel from European leaders is not enough

by Alaa Shamali
21 May 2025
TransActual toilet Supreme Court
News

Trans advocacy organisation unveils “Third Toilet” outside Supreme Court

by HG
21 May 2025
Labour polling Starmer
Analysis

New poll shows Labour’s pandering to the far right is failing miserably

by Ed Sykes
21 May 2025
Jeremy Corbyn
Analysis

Jeremy Corbyn suggests a new party will be in place before 2026 elections

by Ed Sykes
21 May 2025
  • Contact
  • About & FAQ
  • Get our Daily News Email
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

The Canary
PO Box 71199
LONDON
SE20 9EX

Canary Media Ltd – registered in England. Company registration number 09788095.

For guest posting, contact [email protected]

For other enquiries, contact: [email protected]

The Canary is owned and run by independent journalists and volunteers, NOT offshore billionaires.

You can write for us, or support us by making a regular or one-off donation.

© Canary Media Ltd 2024, all rights reserved | Website by Monster | Hosted by Krystal | Privacy Settings

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • UK
    • Global
    • Analysis
    • Trending
  • Editorial
  • Features
    • Features
    • Environment
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Money
    • Science
    • Business
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Sport & Gaming
  • Media
    • Video
    • Cartoons
  • Opinion

© 2023 Canary - Worker's co-op.

Before you go, have you seen...?

horoscope
Horoscopes
Steve Topple

Horoscope today: your 24-hour briefing for life, love, and more

Israel Netanyahu
Analysis
Alaa Shamali

Verbal condemnation of Israel from European leaders is not enough

TransActual toilet Supreme Court
News
HG

Trans advocacy organisation unveils “Third Toilet” outside Supreme Court

Labour polling Starmer
Analysis
Ed Sykes

New poll shows Labour’s pandering to the far right is failing miserably

ADVERTISEMENT
Analysis
Nathan Spears

Vote for the Press Photograph of the Year 2024

Image by Burkard Meyendriesch from Pixabay
Feature
Nathan Spears

Why Santiago Ways is the Leading Choice for Walking the Camino de Santiago

Environment
Nathan Spears

EU elections point to growing public desire for new policymaking approach in Brussels