Stop Turkish State‘s Brutal War on Northeast Syria! Solidarity with Rojava!

We, organisations working to secure an ecological and democratic future, condemn the war declared unilaterally by the Turkish government on north-east Syria. This war has absolutely no legitimate justification. It is is a crime and is severely exacerbating the war in the region.

This aggression targets the democratic achievements of the Kurds, Assyrians, Arabs and others living together peacefully in north-east Syria. In 2012 the liberation process began in Rojava, the predominantly Kurdish region within Syria, and spread to many other parts of north-east Syria following the defeat of the terrorist Islamic State (IS). Their model of self-administration called “democratic autonomy” is based primarily on the liberation of women, direct democracy, ecological principals and ethnic and religious diversity. It is by far the most peaceful and democratic region within Syria after eight years of disastrous war. This region must be protected by all people and organizations around the world if the opportunity for democratic change in Syria is to be maintained.

The first days of the attacks, which are ongoing, show that Turkish forces are intentionally targeting civilians and their livelihoods. Water supply facilities, water supplying dams, electricity power plants, hospitals and other utility installations have been destroyed. The natural environment, on which human society depends, is heavily impacted by air and artillery attacks. Dozen of organisations which work for an ecological, democratic and gender-liberated life and their projects, some of which have been established in collaboration with numerous international individuals and non-governmental organisations, are also under threat. We are witnessing once again that war is a crime against people and nature.

The people of north-east Syria are resisting this invasion and the attempt to change the demographics of the region by all means possible. There is however a huge imbalance between their efforts at self-defence and the military power of a large NATO member state. The role of the USA, which gives space Turkey in this brutal war, is more than shameful. All other Western states, Russia, others within the region and around the world warrant serious criticism too.

If the Turkish government’s war on north-east Syria, which is clearly a violation of international law, is not halted, it will have catastrophic results and will solve no problems rather it will deepen the problems and conflicts in the region. We call oninternational organizations and governments who claim to be democratic to speak up against this war and implement sanctions, including economic.

We call on all democratic and ecological small and big civil society organizations to raise your voices for the people of north-east Syria, join and organise public democratic actions, denounce Turkey’s aggression and demand that politicians take immediate action to halt this brutality against democracy and nature.

We call for – and stand in – solidarity with the people of Rojava and of north-east Syria.

12.10.2019

Contact for supporting this call:
[email protected] (Mesopotamia Ecology Movement)

A call signed by (in the sequence: Middle East, Global South and Industrial Countries):

Mesopotamia Ecology Movement, North Kurdistan/Turkey
Make Rojava Green Again, Rojava/Northeast Syria
Internationalist Commune, Rojava/Northeast Syria
DOZ, Rojava/Northeast Syria
Waterkeeper Iraq
Civil Development Organization (CDO), National NGO, Iraq
Save the Tigris Campaign, Iraq
Iraqi Civil Society Soloidarity Initiative (ICSSI), Iraq
Metro Center for Journalists Right & Advocacy, Iraq
Polen Ekoloji, Turkey
Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive, North-Kurdistan/Turkey
HDP (People’s Democratic Party) Ecology Commission, Turkey
HDK (People’s Democratic Congress) Ecology Commission, Turkey
Kareza Institution, Iran
Chiya Environmental Institution, Iran
Green Kurdistan Environmental Organization, Iran
Green Chiya Organization, Iran
Mariwan Cultural and Literary Organization, Iran
Rojiyar Cultural and Literary Organization, Iran
Pajin Environmenal Organization. Iran
Saqiz Environment protectors Organization. Iran
Ashti Cultural Development Foundation Bane. Iran
Mariwan Teachers Union, Iran
Ronan Scientific and Cultural Center, Iran
Shney Nojin Organization of Sine, Iran
Green Kurdistan Population Iran
Sardasht Environment Protectors Institution, Iran
Hetaw Environmental Organization of Sardasht. Iran
Kurdistan Green Jiwan Organization, Iran
Baroje Literary Center, Iran
Zagros Oak Organization of Rabbat, Iran

Inter-American Vigilance for the Defense and the Right to Water (Red VIDA), The Americas
Movement of Dam Affected People (MAB), Brazil
Organização Popular Libertária de Uberaba/MG, Brasil
Movement of Dam Affected People from Latin America (MAR), The Americas
Movement of Defence of Water, Land and Environment (MODATIMA), Chile
Platform for Public and Community Partnerships of the America’s (PAPC), The Americas
Fundación Abril, Bolivia
Ecos, El Salvador
Corporación Ecológica y Cultural Penca de Sabila, Colombia
Red de Sistemas Comunitarios y Comités por la Defensa del Agua, Mexico
Agua para Tod@s, Agua para la Vida, Mexico
Rural Solidarity, Bénin
Centro de Encuentros y Diálogos Interculturales, Mexico
Universidad de la Tierra, Oaxaca, Mexico
Organizaçao Popular Libertaria de Uberaba/MG, Brasil
Rivers Without Boundaries International Coalition, Asia
First Ecosocialist International, Global
FairCoop, Global
Defend the Sacred Alliance, global

Ende Gelände, Germany
FridaysForFuture Frankfurt, Germany
Fridays For Future, UK
International Rivers, USA
Balkanka Association Sofia, Bulgaria
Fundacja Zielone Światło, Poland
Attac Italy
Australians for Kurdistan, Australia
European Water Movement, Europe
Afro Yaqui Music Collective, USA
Women’s Strike Assembly, Cymru (Wales)
Kurdish Solidarity, Cymru (Wales)
IWW, Cymru (Wales)
EYDAP, Greece
Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP), Catalonia
Ekolologistak Martxan, Basque Country
Komite Internazionalistak, Basque Country
Kurdistanekin Elkartasun Ekimena, Basque Country
Catalan Network for a New Water Culture, Catalonia
Cambridge Social Ecology, UK
Italian Forum of Water Movements, Italy
Association Town Partnership Oldenburg-Efrîn, Germany
Kuchnia Konfliktu (Kitchen of Conflicts), Poland
Plan C, UK
Kurdistan Solidarity Network, UK
The Corner House, UK
Solidarity Economy Association, UK
Cambridge Zero Carbon Society, UK
EcoMujer, Germany
Devon and Cornwall Green Anti Capitalist Forum, UK
Umweltgewekschaft e.V. – Regional Group Bremen/Oldenburg, Germany
Bristol Social Ecology, UK
Frances Libertes, France
Danish Ecologist Tannie Nyboe, Denmark
Solidarity Economy Association, UK
Campaign against Animal Factories, Niedersachsen, Germany
Ecosocialist Horizons, USA
Plataforma Ciudadana Zaragoza sin Fractura, Spain
Asociacion de Cultura Popular Alborada, Spain
Aigua és Vida, Catalonia
Associació Catalana d’Enginyeria Sense Fronteres, Catalonia
Moviment per l’aigua pública i democràtica, Catalonia
Zukunftskonvent Germany
Un Ponte Per, Italy
XR Youth Denmark (Extinction Rebellion Ungdom), Denmark
Klimakollektivet, Denmark
Free the Soil, Denmark
Städtepartnerschaft Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg – Dêrîk, Germany
Peace in Kurdistan (PIK), UK
Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (CAMPACC), UK
Allmende e.V. – gemeinschaftlicher Waldgarten, Germany
Our Future Now, UK
The Fleming Policy Centre, UK
Jay Geils, IWW, DSA-LSC, Symbiosis Congress, UK
Décentrale Synergiehub, Mont-Soleil, Switzerland
St-Imier.org Anarchist Gatherings, Switzerland
Solidarity. fm, Self-empowered Culture Radio, Switzerland
Tamera Peace Research & Education Center, Portugal
TRADENER, Basque Country
TRISE – Transnational Institute of Social Ecology
Ecologistas en Acción, Spain
Earth Thrive – UK/Serbia
CODEPINK, Canada
Coordination EAU Bien Commun, France
Coordination EAU Île-de-France, France
Azadi, Plataforma en suport amb el poble kurd, Catalonia
Permaculture Sweden
Xarxa per la Sobirania Energetica, Catalonia, Spain
MAKVÄRKET, Cultural and environmental collective, Denmark
Diritti a Prescindere (DAP), Italy
ROAR Magazine
Red Agua Publica (RAP), Spain
Solifonds, Switzerland
MultiWatch, Switzerland
Obóz dla Puszczy, Białowieska Forest, Poland
EYDAPP; Greece
Klima Aktion DK, Denmark
The Institute for Social Ecology, USA
Klimagerechtigkeitsgruppe Animal Climate Action, Germany
Syrena collective, Poland
Student Anti-fascist Committee of the University of Warsaw, Poland
Camp for Forest, Poland
NOAH Ungdom, Denmark
Demokratisk Omställning, Sweden
Friends of Earth Finland
Hambibleibt, Germany
YogisForFuture, Germany
Kurws, Poland
Polish Hospitality Foundation, Poland
System Change not Climate Change, Austria
Young Kurds Portugal

Also signed by following individuals:
Noam Chomsky, linguist, political dissident, Institute Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and laureate professor at the University of Arizona, USA
Gustavo Esteva, founder of Universidad de la Tierra, Oaxaca / Mexico
Ashish Kothari, chairman of Greenpeace India’s Board, India
Janet Biehl, Independist Scholar, USA
Eyal Rozenberg, Activist, Palestine/Israel
Joost Jongerden, Associate Professor Wageningen University, Netherlands
Debbie Bookchin, Activist and Writer, USA
Himanshu Thakkar, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People, India
Dr Felix Padel, Centre for World Environment History, University of Sussex, Wales
Dr Derek Wall, former International Coordinator of the Green Party of England and Wales
Linda Farthing, Journalist, Bolivia
Dr. Savaş Ergül, Trinity College, Ireland
Burcu Seyben, Academician, USA
Julie Ward, Member of European Parliament, UK
Prof. Neşe Özgen, Duke University, USA
Prof. Michael Pimbert, UK
Prof. John Tully, Australia
Dimitrios Roussopoulos, writer, and president of MPCC, Montreal, Canada
Sina Arnold, Academician, Germany
Professor Kariane Westrheim, University of Bergen, Norway. Chair of EUTCC, Norway
Federico Venturini, PhD, University of Udine, Italy
Enrica Saraullo, International Solidarity Officer, International Workers of the World, UK
Gisela Penteker, IPPNW, Germany
Heike Geisweid, Lawyer, Germany
Pete Davies, Organising Department Chair, Industrial Workers of the World, UK
Erling Folkvord, Former national MP and today the leader of Solidarity with Kurdistan, Norway
Nadia Alexan, Professor, Canada
Kati Engel, Member of Thuringia Parliament, DIE LINKE, Germany
Beata Nowak, Co-Chief Editor of Zielone Wiadomości, Poland
Mar Carrera, Education Activist, Catalonia
Giannis Papadimitriou, Ativist, Greece
Wasilis von Rauch, Ecology Activist, Germany
Rüdiger Bahr, IG-Metall member, Germany
Matt Heinrich, UK
Julian Melamade, Brighton IWW Secretary, UK
Raphaël Favier, France
Dr. Judith Dellheim, Economist Analyst, Germany
Elke Dangeleit, Anthropologist, Journalist, Germany
Annelies Broekman, phd, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Catalonia
Enric Duran, Cooperativa Integral Catalana and Faircoop founder, Catalonia
Dr. Vildan Seckiner, Germany
John Bradley, Community Organizer, Canada
Dominik Lehmann, Social Worker, Germany
Núria Vidal de Llobatera, Ecologistes en Acció, Barcelona, Spain
Prof. Haim Yacobi, The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, University College London, UK
Luis Andueza, Geographer, University of St Andrews, Scotland
Andrea Levy, Ph.D, historian, Montreal, Canada
Pierre Jasmin, classical pianist, Universite du Quebec a Montreal, Canada
M. Athna Palaeologu, Ph.D, writer and activist, Thessaloniki, Greece
Angel Martinez, Ph.D. trande unionists, Montreal, Canada
Chris Zumbrunn, Forum for Direct Democracy, Switzerland
Tannie Nyboe, Political and Ecologist Activist, Denmark
Brian Tokar, activist and educator, UK
Christine Perret, France
Ersilia Verlinghieri, researcher, University of Oxford, UK
Lara Vilanova, Cinematographer, Catalonia
Ömer Faruk Yekdeş, phd student, Boğaziçi Iniversity, Turkey
Jodie Evans, CODEPINK cofounder, Canada
Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK cofounder, Canada
Prof. Adriana Allen, The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, University College, UK
Barbara Lipietz, UK
Mechthil Theilmann, Switzerland
Engin Sustam, Academician, Paris 8 University, France
Raffaella Cavallo, DAP, Udine, Italy
Barbara Janisch, Free University Berlin, Germany
Ibalu Alba Dwan, independent researcher, Germany
Carne Ross, former British diplomat and founding director of Independent Diplomat, UK
Salim Dara, founding director of Rural Solidarity, Bénin
Gigi Coyle, community activist and author, United States
Win Phelps, Beyond Boundaries, United States
Dieter Duhm, sociologist, author and co-founder of Tamera, Portugal
Ute Richter, author, Germany
Dr. Joachim Niklas, agrobiologist, Germany
Martin Winiecki, leader of the Institute for Global Peace Work, Portugal
Monika Alleweldt, Verlag Meiga, Germany
Vera Kleinhammes, Global Campus & Tamera, Portugal
Gabriel Meyer, co-founder of Sulha, Israel-Palestine
Jessica Gorman, University of San Diego, USA
Shaun Chamberlin, author, UK
David I. Block, Activist-Writer, NY, USA
Karsten Schuster, Artist, Germany
Johannes Schulte, Mitglied der Gewerkschaft Verdi , Germany
Dr. Paulina Kramarz, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University.
Boyd Rossing, Emeritus Professor, Department of Civil Society and Community Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
Miguel Fernandes, freelance translator, Portugal
Laurence Desarzens, community gardener, coop activist in Ecojonx, Switzerland
Dr. Zofia Prokop, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland
Rachele Borghi, Geographer and Activist, Sorbonne Université, France
Julia Mittermüller, Institut für Soziologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany
Stefano Nonino, C.N.C.A. F.V.G., National Coordination of Host Communities – Friuli Venezia Giulia Udine, Italy
Dr Weronika Parfianowicz, Institute of Polish Culture, University of Warsaw, Poland