My People Are Dying. Here’s Some Ways To Help.
Some backround info for those unfamiliar with what is happening in Rojava:
[For those not in the know, Erdogan, leader of the Turkish regime, has been planning on invading Rojava for years.
On 9 October 2019, after Trump announced his decision to have the USA withdraw from Syria, he launched “Operation Peace Spring”, a deceptively pretty name for a horrific invasion that is anything but peaceful. His target is stated by him to be ‘securing’ Syria and providing homes for Syrian refugees in Turkey by defeating the Syrian Democratic Forces.
His intent, however, is fueled by fear of the Kurdish people. He claims that the Syrian Democratic Forces - one of, if not THE, biggest forces against ISIS - are a terrorist group and a threat to Turkish unity. The reason why? The majority of them are Kurdish, and the army has loose ties with the PKK, a previously (see: no longer a) separationist group. His attack is not simply on the SDF, however: The entire region is being invaded - a region that, while a majority Kurdish, is home to many other ethnic groups. My Arab, Assyrian, Turkemen, Armenian, and many others cousins who call Rojava home will also be impacted, and civilian casualties are on the rise.
Let it be known that this is an act of ethnic cleansing, and my people fear for genocide. Innocent lives are being lost at this very moment, and the very terrorists we fought so hard alongside America are being trained and sent by Erdogan to kill us while Trump sits back and watches. And if that wasn’t enough, we were the ones keeping ISIS prisoners - and now that we are being invaded, we can no longer make guarding them a priority. Turkey has directly helped ISIS and America is now complacent in it.
We are incredibly lucky to reside in Canada, but the pain and guilt of sitting safely while my people and their allies shed blood is indescribable. It is my hope that this message gets as far as possible, and that those residing in the west, Kurds and allies alike, can help those in Rojava.]
So, how can you help? Here’s three ways - and which are by no means the only ways.
1. SPREAD THE WORD.
I don’t just mean reblogging and retweeting stuff about the invasion of Rojava, though you should absolutely do that too. I mean actually talking to people face to face. Let your family, your friends, your neighbors, anyone who is willing to listen, know what is happening. Read about the situation, listen to those who are victims of Erdogan’s regime, boost the voices of those unheard. If you will not listen to Kurds, listen to those who fought alongside us against ISIS.
I highly recommend watching Civ Div’s videos documenting the situation day by day. As a international YPG veteran, I am grateful for his and every other ally’s service, and I am grateful for his decision to cover the events and spread awareness. He also does a great job at trying to neutrally go over the situation.
2. JOIN PROTESTS.
People all around the world, especially Kurds, are holding protests in light of Turkey’s actions as well as the USA’s abandonment of Rojava. I highly recommend also looking into @antifainternational‘s Rojava tag - it is not all conclusive by any stretch of the word, but it does cover various locations in which protests are being held and on what days, as well as other actions of solidarity.
If you can’t find anything near you on the blog, do not think that means nothing is being done - there’s a pretty high chance that protests are happening in or near your area that you are unaware of - I’m a Kurd and even I wasn’t aware until two days ago that there was a protest in a nearby city. Look online for local Kurdish communities or for protests in solidarity with Rojava. Let people know that you do not condone Erdogan or Trump’s actions. Pressure the USA to stand by its allies, and let Erdogan know that we will not tolerate what is being done.
3. DONATE.
Heyva Sor is a Kurdish, humanitarian, charity organization that provides emergency aid and medical care to those in warzones, working with civilians and combatants alike, along with general aid to repairing Rojava after the Afrin attacks. They are also the primary force in many hospitals in Rojava, and work extensively with refugees and orphans. If you want to help us, donating to them is one of the BEST things you can do.
We don’t want your tears. We want your help. Even if you cannot do anything listed here, just hitting the reblog button is worth something - the more people see this, the better.
If we have friends besides the mountains, if we have friends in you, now is the time to prove it.
