* * * UPDATE: We reached our £3000 target in just five days! Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far, we’ve been bowled over by the response. Rojava needs as much support as we can give so we’ll be keeping the fundraiser going for the full 31 days and are currently discussing what we should do with extra funds raised. This is just the start of our fundraising for Rojava and it’s really encouraging to be able to raise so much so quickly. Keep an eye out for future solidarity actions from the cluster and please keep sharing the fundraising link! * * *
The recent ISIS attacks in Beirut and Paris, and last week’s
downing of a Russian jet by Turkey have refocused international attention on
ISIS and the Syrian crisis. European states have responded with a racialised
crack-down on civil liberties at home, whilst preparing for increased military
activity abroad. Seemingly lost in the arguments for bombing campaigns or
international “boots on the ground” is the fact that a progressive, democratic,
and feminist force is already fighting ISIS – the democratic experiment in
Rojava.
No Friends but the Mountains?
The escalating military conflict in Syria has recently seen Turkey directly attack Rojavan defence forces. Facing both military action and economic embargo international support for the Rojavan cantons is even more important. For those of us that believe in supporting this struggle we need to move beyond "virtual solidarity" on facebook or our leftist
blogs. We hope this campaign can be a small example of the kinds of practical
solidarity we need to be showing with Rojava.
What Do We Want to Do?
We want to raise £3000 for projects connected to the
struggle in Rojava. This money will be split into a few different parts:
1) £2000 to Kobane, to
be split into two parts:
·
£1400 to Kobane reconstruction, sent directly to
Kobane.
·
£600 for medical supplies to support direct medical work in the region. This will pay for life saving medical supplies that are expensive and hard to obtain in Rojava. The supplies will include tourniquets, hemostatic dressings, chest seals, and trauma bandages, all essential in preventing avoidable deaths by treating the serious injuries that are suffered by both civilians and YPG/J members in Rojava.
2) £1000 to Kurdish projects in the UK. The
struggle in Rojava is being supported by a large network of Kurdish communities
across the world. By helping Kurdish projects in the UK, we are helping build
the basis for longer term support for Rojava.
Any extra money we raise will go directly towards
reconstruction in Kobane.
When?
We hope to raise this money by the New Year. If we
are short we will continue raising funds until we reach our target.
£3000, is this all?
We hope not! Our plan is to start with something we think should be achievable and we hope to do larger fundraising campaigns next year. Hopefully we will involve more groups from the UK and Europe in this next campaign.
