Fighting Fascism in the Middle East – Ocalan, The Kurds and Defending the Women’s Revolution.

The Kurds of Turkey, Syria and Iraq have been central to the fight against the extreme savagery of Daesh (ISIS) yet are now facing the barbarism of President Erdogan in his all-out war against the Kurds. In Turkey, Kurds face massive repression with Erdogan under the State Of Emergency, having ordered the arrest and detention of hundreds-of-thousands of opposition politicians, journalists, trade unionists, human rights activists and many others.

The brutal war on the Kurdish population has resulted in thousands murdered and entire cities raised to the ground and deserted. In Syria, Turkey with its allied jihadi groups has illegally invaded the majority Kurdish city of Afrin and committed acts of genocide, ethnic cleansing and atrocious human rights abuses against the Kurdish population, and in Iraq the Kurdish population live under the very real and increasing threat that Turkey will invade imminently.

The situation is critical. Yet in Northern Syria the Kurds are developing a truly progressive society that is being constructed on the principles of direct democracy, ecology and most centrally women’s liberation based on the teachings of imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan.

Join speakers who have seen the society working first-hand and discuss how trade unions, progressive groups and organisations can support the Kurds in defending the women’s liberations, democracy and multi-cultural revolution they have sacrificed so much to build.

Yesterday Mandela, Today Ocalan

Speakers include:
Simon Dubbins (Unite the Union International Director)
Elif Sarican – Freedom for Ocalan Trade Union Campaign
Rohash – Kongre Star (Women’s Movement of Rojava)