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1300 people in Göttingen: For a free Rojava and against war crimes!
Around 1,300 people demonstrated in Göttingen for the protection of the Syrian minorities and against attacks on Rojava.
1300 people in Göttingen: For a free Rojava and against war crimes!
Yesterday around 1,300 people demonstrated in Göttingen for the protection of all minorities in Syria. The event was organized by the Alliance Defend Kurdistan and the Göttingen group of Women Defend Rojava. The reason was the worrying situation in northern and eastern Syria, where attacks by the Syrian interim government and its allies are threatening the democratic self-government, known as DAANES. People from different backgrounds – Kurdish, Iranian, Yazidi and German – came together to send a strong message.
The protesters not only opposed the attacks, but also against the cooperation of Germany and Western states with the aggressors, especially al-Jaulani and Erdoğan. They called for an immediate stop to this cooperation, which they see as a betrayal of the people of Syria. In her speech, Lina Fehmer from Women Defend Rojava emphasized the self-determination that the people in the region have fought for and the constant threat from Islamist forces.
Calls for international support
The activists pointed out the danger of mass escapes from IS prisons that could be provoked by the attacks on the region. They are therefore calling for international support to secure these detention centers and camps. Specific demands include the naming of perpetrators and victims, public condemnation of the attacks and an immediate end to military attacks on the self-government. It is essential that there are no deals with aggressors and that diplomatic normalization does not take place as long as attacks and war crimes continue.
Participants expressed particular concern regarding the financing of the German federal government. In their opinion, these should not contribute to the stabilization of a regime that attacks minorities, but rather support humanitarian access and protection programs.
Previous protests and the broader social context
At this last demonstration in Göttingen, the activists also called for an end to the deals with the Turkish regime and an immediate issuance of arms deliveries. There were also vehement calls for the borders to be opened for refugees. There is now increasing evidence that the Turkish state is planning to prepare a major attack on Kobanê - a city that fought against the Islamic State in 2014 and is now a symbol of resistance.
In Rojava, work is being done on a model for a grassroots democratic and ecological society without the state and violence. This vision not only offers new perspectives for the people of the region, but is also seen as a model for gender liberation in the Middle East and beyond.
It is all the more important that such protests and the associated demands are heard. The resistance doesn't just want to have an impact on a small scale, but rather shed light on the global dimensions of the conflicts that go far beyond national borders.