Tag: kurds

Western Governments May Have Abandoned the Kurds but Let’s Not Abandon Hope and Solidarity
Abandoned by the West, Kurdish-led democratic forces in Syria have been left with a choice between ethnic cleansing at the hands of the Turkish state or compromising their independence by reaching an agreement with Damascus. Chris Strafford argues this is not the time for allies in the UK to abandon hope or solidarity.
Rojava: Trump Betrays the Kurds

As Trump gives the green light for a Turkish invasion of Rojava, we ask David Graeber what hope there is left for Syrian Kurds. Plus, the latest on Extinction Rebellion’s Autumn Uprising with Aaron Bastani.
Erdogan Wants a ‘Buffer Zone’ Along the Syria Border – but It’s Turkish Forces Killing Civilians
Turkish forces have killed 27 civilians in north-eastern Syria in cross-border attacks this year alone, with just one attack going the other way. Yet Turkey is using the narrative that it must protect itself from a “terror corridor” to move its troops into Rojava.
What to Do With International Isis Fighters? Rojava May Have a Solution
Nobody can agree on what to do with international Isis fighters, but the autonomous Rojava administration in north-eastern Syria is calling for an international tribunal to hold them accountable on the soil where their crimes were committed.
A Century After Turkey’s Genocide of Our People, Armenians Are Still Under Threat
104 years after the Ottoman government's systematic extermination of 1.5 million people, an Armenian soldier opposing Isis in Syria reflects on the imperative to keep resisting terror and oppression.   
As Isis Falls, a Humanitarian Crisis Is Rapidly Unfolding in North-Eastern Syria
As the media fixates on 'Isis brides', the Syrian Democratic Forces are struggling to keep thousands of people alive in the desert, with little help from international aid groups. Novara Media and the Rojava Information Centre report from the frontline.
In Afrin, the UK Has Blood on Its Hands
In the days following the news of her friend Haukur Hilmarsson's death, Lotte Lewis spoke with many who questioned why someone from western Europe would travel to fight with the YPG. But Afrin–and the 7 year-long Civil War in Syria that has preceded it –has everything to do with the West.
Why Is Turkey Attacking Afrin?
The predominantly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces have been the strongest force against Isis. So why is Turkey attacking Afrin, the westernmost canton of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (AKA Rojava)? And why is the UK supporting Turkey?
Why Is the Met Trying to Imprison an Ex-Squaddie Who Fought Isis?
Jim Matthews, a 43-year-old ex-soldier who fought Isis in northern Syria alongside the YPG, is being charged by the Met with attending a terrorist training camp. Why are the police nicking ex-squaddies for doing the right thing?
101 Years from the Armenian Genocide, the Turkish State is Still Pursuing ‘Turkification’
Sunday Long Read: As the international community vows to 'never forget' as it commemorates the 101st anniversary of the Armenian genocide, the ideology of 'Turkification' is still playing out in the Turkish state's treatment of Kurds.
5 Ways the Turkish State is Attacking Kurds
Turkey's president has just launched a crackdown on supporters of the Kurds by proposing an inflation of terror charges to include perceived sympathisers. Here's a short guide to some of the main ways the Turkish state is attacking Kurds.
7 Ways in 7 Days We Can Show Solidarity with the People of Syria
Feeling powerless following parliament’s vote to bomb Syria and not sure what to do next? Somewhere between overwhelming hopelessness and heading off to join the YPJ there are a range of everyday acts of solidarity. Here are a week’s worth.
On Airstrikes
Sunday Long Read: The parliamentary vote to bomb Syria has provoked indignant rage across the country. Why is the case for airstrikes so shaky, who our Cameron’s allies and what support can we offer those in - and fleeing from - the region?
3 Reasons Hilary Benn’s Use of the International Brigades to Justify Bombing Syria Was Ignorant
In his lauded speech in the Commons this week, Hilary Benn invoked the memory of the antifascist International Bridges to justify the bombing of Syria. In doing so, he ignored history to bolster British jingoism.
5 Reasons It’s Kicking Off in Turkey
While the civil war continues in neighbouring Syria, Turkey has seen worrying developments in recent weeks - from the Suruç bombing and fighting between the PKK and the Turkish state, to Erdoğan's latest bid for outright control.
6 Notes on the Economics of the Rojava Revolution
Kurdish forces recently drove ISIS from the town of Kobane, and the 'democratic experiment' in Rojava has received sustained attention in recent months - but what of the economy?