Oppose Turkey's invasion of Rojava!

This statement was issued today by Paul Murphy TD for RISE

The barbaric and criminal invasion of Rojava in North Syria by Turkey must be met with unreserved condemnation. This latest military aggression, following on from Turkey’s seizure of Afrin in March earlier this year, is an extension of the Erdoğan regime’s policy of oppression of the Kurdish people in Turkey itself.

Turkey’s indiscriminate bombing of civilian targets, including civilian convoys, is a war crime that gives an indication as to the brutality that the people of Rojava can expect to receive from the Erdoğan regime. Condemning the invasion with words alone is not enough, the Irish government should immediately expel the Turkish ambassador in protest against this genocidal invasion.

The EU Commission President Juncker said not to expect the EU to “pay for” Erdoğan’s war effort, but EU member states sell billions in arms to Turkey every year in violation of the EU’s own rules without any consequence. Part of the pretext for Turkey’s invasion of Rojava is to create a zone to which the Erdoğan regime could forcibly transfer the millions of refugees currently residing in Turkey.

The very same EU which claims it will not ‘pay for’ Turkey’s war effort is currently paying Turkey €3 billion a year to hold refugees illegally deported from EU member states. Any criticism by the EU of Turkey’s aggression is utterly hypocritical. The refugee deal must be immediately scrapped along with all arms sales. 

US imperialism’s betrayal of the Kurdish people in Rojava is another example of how the imperialist powers intervening in Syria are not the friends of any oppressed nations. All foreign military intervention in Syria must end. The only path out of the nightmare of sectarian conflict in Syria is the building of a multi-ethnic, socialist movement, which can unite people against the barbarism of the right-wing Islamist forces, the Assad regime and the various imperialist powers. 

The real allies of the Kurdish people’s fights for democratic rights and supporters of their rights to self-determination internationally must be the anti-war and workers’ movement. This means speaking out to denounce the actions of the Turkish government as well as the role of the EU, as well as providing practical solidarity for the people of Rojava.

We encourage people to attend the protest called by the Kurdish community in Ireland at 1pm at the GPO tomorrow, Saturday 12 October.