Kurdish Struggles for Freedom
A talk by Kurdish activists about their struggle to protect their culture, language and even their existence, followed by an account by UK activists who have just visited Rojava in northern Syria.
Kurdistan is split between four different countries: Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria. This talk will give a brief introduction to the region, followed by a summary of the violence being committed by the Turkish state against the Kurdish population within its borders right now. In cities in Bakur (the region of Kurdistan in south-eastern Turkey), Kurdish people have declared autonomy and erected barricades in their neighbourhoods to protect themselves against the violence of the Turkish state. They are being attached by the military and police right now with tanks, helicopters and mortars.
We will also talk about Rojava, a Kurdish-majority region in the north of Syria, which has declared autonomy from the Assad regime. In Rojava, people are organising themselves in confederations of communes, cooperative and local assemblies. Anti-capitalist ideas are flourishing, which have the power to truly transform society. This is all happening as Rojava’s People’s Protection Units (YPG and YPJ) are defending themselves against ISIS attacks. Activists from the UK have just visited Rojava, and will talk about their impressions and what they learned.