#68: Defend Rojava! Part 3, The So-Called “Ceasefire” and What’s at Stake

The revolutionary social experiments in the Kurdish territories of northeastern Syria remain under attack. As SDF forces mount fierce resistance in Sêre Kaniyê and waves of outraged protest sweep the world, the news in recent days has been full of the “ceasefire” negotiated by Turkey and US Vice President Pence. But what is really going on? And why is it so important to aspiring revolutionaries around the world? In Episode 68 of The Ex-Worker, we begin by deconstructing this so-called ceasefire, drawing on an account and analysis shared by anarchist volunteer currently in the war zone. But the bulk of this episode consists of an in-depth interview with an anarchist from the US who participated in a solidarity education delegation in Rojava this summer. She offers detailed insights into daily life amidst revolution and war, the council system and other social and political institutions, the role of military veterans and martyrs in public life, processes for absorbing criticisms and revising revolutionary praxis, and the lessons learned for organizing back in the US. We conclude with a message from another internationalist volunteer sent days ago as the bombs began to fall in Sêre Kaniyê, appealing for action. This episode continues tomorrow as we release a second installment featuring more interviews exploring armed struggle, gender roles, and daily life in Rojava.

Even though we’re focusing on the crisis in Kurdistan again for this episode, let’s not forget that even as the Turkish bombs are falling, other important rebellions are taking place across the world—in Chile, in Catalunya, in Ecuador, in Haiti, in Lebanon, in Hong Kong, and beyond. We’ll have more coverage of these and other revolts through the Ex-Worker and on the CrimethInc. blog in the days and weeks to come, so stay tuned!

{October 22nd, 2019}

-------SHOW NOTES------

• Table of Contents:
  • Introduction {0:01}
  • The “Ceasefire” Is a Deadly Fraud: Interview with an Anarchist on the Front in Rojava {6:15}
  • Interview with Shannon, Part 1 {18:50}
  • Solidarity Song by Sabrina Melendez {51:25}
  • Interview with Shannon, Part 2 {52:27}
  • Solidarity Song by Sabrina Melendez, Part 2 {1:24:18}
  • Last Message from an Internationalist Volunteer {1:25:42}
  • Conclusion {1:27:09}
• This episode draws on “The ‘Ceasefire’ Is a Deadly Fraud: Interview with an Anarchist on the Front in Rojava.”
• Here is the Twitter thread in which the French volunteer fighting in Sêre Kaniyê makes a final appeal for action.
• Want to learn more about the situation in Rojava? Check out podcast episodes from It’s Going Down—This is America #92 includes an interview with an Assyrian anarchist in the region—and The Final Straw, whose October 20th episode includes an interview with a couple of anarchists working as combat medics with the SDF in Rojava, and whose October 9th episode is titled “Rojava, War, Imperialism, and Defense: An interview with Gönül Düzer.”
• IMPORTANT: many groups and individuals have signed on to the following “Call to Action: Solidarity with Rojava—Against the Turkish Invasion! An Urgent Call from a Network of Organizations”. If you or your organization agree, you can email the organizers to add your names: coordination.for.rojava at protonmail dot com.
• This list of demonstrations around the US in solidarity with Rojava and against the Turkish invasion will continue to be updated as we learn about more events.
• For further background on the radical potential of the Rojava experiment, we encourage you to listen to the two previous Ex-Worker engagements with the topic, Episode 36 and Episode 39.
• Want to take action? Consider organizing a boycott or direct action using this list of businesses and institutions that are complicit with the Turkish war effort.