(en) Turkey, DAF, 22nd issue of Meydan - An Interview with Revolutionary Anarchist Action on Koban?: ?We are Kawa against Dehaks? (tr)

For two years now the foundations of social revolution have been being developed in 
Rojava, the west of Kurdistan. Bearing this, it?s hard to ignore the fact that the basis 
of the attacks against Koban? is the interest politics of Turkish State and global 
capitalism. Abd?lmelik Yalcin and Merve Dilber from Revolutionary Anarchist Action were in 
the region of Suruc, on the border with Koban?, since the first day of the resistance 
against the attempts to obscure the people?s revolution, in solidarity with the people of 
the region. We interviewed them on the Koban? Resistance and Rojava Revolution. ---- Since 
the beginning of the Koban? Resistance, you have organized a lot of protests and made 
leaflets and posters. You also participated in ?the human chain border watch? that was 
organized in the villages at Suruc, near Koban? border. What was your purpose of going 
there? Could you tell us about what you lived there?

M. D.: Due to the Rojava Revolution the borders between the parts of Kurdistan that fell 
within Syrian and Turkish territory started to melt away. The Turkish State even tried to 
build a wall to destroy this effect of the revolution. In the midst of the war in interest 
of global capitalism and states in the region, the Kurdish people in Syria took a step 
along the path that leads to social revolution. Thanks to this step a real front emerged 
that leads to the freedom of the people, and in Koban?, a total attack against revolution 
was started by the hands of ISIS, the violent mob produced by global capitalism. As 
revolutionary anarchists, when we considered the situation in Koban? and all of Rojava, it 
was impossible for us not to become directly involved in it. Whereas the borders between 
states were abolished, it is vital to be in solidarity with peoples resisting in Koban?. 
We are at the 15th month of the Rojava Revolution. In these 15 months, we organized a lot 
of joint protests and made leafleting and wheatpasting actions. During the latest wave of 
attacks against the revolution in Koban?, we similarly made a lot of leafleting and 
wheatpasting and also organized a lot of street protests. However we had to go to Koban? 
border to salute the Kurdish people? struggle for freedom against the attacks of ISIS mob. 
In the night of 24 September we departed from Istanbul to the Koban? border. We met our 
comrades who arrived a little bit earlier and together started our human chain border 
guard in Boyd? village, in the west of Koban?. There were hundreds of volunteers like us 
who came from different parts of Anatolia and Mesopotamia to the border forming a human 
chain along 25km of the borderline in different villages like Boyd?, Beth?, Etmank? and 
Dew?an. One of the aims of the human chain was to stop man, arms and logistics support to 
ISIS from the Turkish State, whose support to ISIS is known by everyone. In the border 
villages the life itself has transformed into a communal life, despite the war conditions. 
Another aim of our border watch was to interfere in solidarity with the people of Koban?, 
who had to escape from the attacks against Koban?, who were delayed at the border for 
weeks and who were even attacked by Turkish military police forces (jandarma). In the 
first days of our border watch actions, we cut the wires and crossed to Koban? together 
with people coming from Istanbul.

Could you please tell us what happened after you crossed the border to Koban??

A.Y.: The moment we passed the border, we were greeted with huge enthusiasm. In the border 
villages of Koban?, everyone, young and old, were on the streets. YPG and YPJ guerrillas 
saluted our elimination of borders by firing into air. We rallied in the streets of 
Koban?. Later, we had conversations with people of Koban? and the YPG/YPJ guerrillas who 
defend the revolution. It is very important that the borders between peoples that the 
states erected were smashed like this. This action which occurred in the conditions of war 
shows once more that uprisings and revolutions cannot be stopped by the borders of states.

There were a lot of news about people who participated in ?the human chain border watch? 
and the rural population around the border being attacked by military police and regular 
cops. What does the Turkish State try to achieve with its bullying at the border? What do 
you think about it?

A.Y.: Yes, it is true that the policy of the Turkish State is to attack everyone who is 
involved in the border watch and who lives in the border villages, and everyone from 
Koban? who tries to cross the border. Sometimes these attacks happen frequently and 
sometimes they last for days. It is obvious that each attack has its own excuse as well as 
its own purpose. We observed that during nearly every military (gendarme) attack, trucks 
transport some stuff to the other side of the border. We are not sure about the exact 
contents of these shipments to ISIS. However, we could understand by the power of the 
attacks that sometimes it was to let people cross the border to join ISIS, sometimes to 
send arms and in other times it was to provide ISIS with its daily needs. These shipments 
were sometimes carried by vehicles with official plate numbers and sometimes by gangs who 
make state sponsored ?smuggling?. Moreover these state sponsored gangs usurped the 
properties of the people of Koban? who wait at the border. Military police on the other 
hand let people cross the border with a commission fee of 30 percent. The policies of the 
state against the local population have been the same for years. Due to the conditions of 
war, this policy has become much more visible now. The attacks at the border are conducted 
with the purpose of intimidating the people in border watch actions and the people of the 
border villages.

Although the Turkish State denies this, it was more or less known that it supports ISIS. 
However you say that now, even people who cross the border to join ISIS can easily be 
seen. So in this region it is not hidden that the Turkish State supports ISIS. How does 
this support work at the border?

M. D.: The Turkish State insistently denied its support to ISIS. However, ironically, 
whenever it declared a denial, a new shipment was being organized at the border. A lot of 
these shipments were large enough to be easily observed. For example: different vehicles 
brought ?assistance packages? to border. We were witnesses to the fact that tens of 
?service vehicles? with black windows crossed the border. Nobody really wonders what is 
inside these vehicles. We all know that the needs of ISIS are satisfied through this channel.

Would you please care to explain the historical and contemporary importance for the 
revolutionary anarchists of embracing the Koban? Resistance and Rojava Revolution, 
especially at a time like this?

A.Y.: The Koban? Resistance and Rojava Revolution should not be considered as separate 
from the long history of Kurdish people?s struggle for freedom. In the land we live in, 
the struggle of Kurdish people for freedom was called the ?Kurdish problem?. For years, it 
was misrepresented as a problem sourced by the people and not of the state. We say it 
again: this is the struggle of Kurdish people for freedom. The only problem here then is 
the state. Kurdish people have been fighting a struggle of existence against the 
destruction and denial politics of Republic of Turkey for years, and against other 
political powers in these lands for hundreds of years. This fight is given against the 
state and capitalism with the organized power of people. In the slogan ?PKK is people, 
people are here?, it?s clear who this political agent is, which became distinct in each 
and every individual and who this organized power is. Ever since we solidified our 
perception into struggle, in different contexts, our relationship with Kurdish individuals 
and society and the organization of Kurdish people, have been mutual solidarity. We base 
this relationship on the perspective of peoples? struggle for freedom. In people?s 
struggle for freedom, anarchist movements have always been catalyzers. In an age where 
Socialism couldn?t get out of Europe, when there were no theories called ?Right of Nations 
Choosing Their Own Destiny?, anarchist movement took different forms in different regions 
of world as people?s fight for freedom. To understand this, it?s enough see the influence 
of anarchism on people?s struggles in a wide range from Indonesia to Mexico. Also, neither 
the revolution in Rojava, nor the struggle of Zapatistas in Chiapas fit into description 
of classical national freedom struggles. Nation as a political term obviously has the 
state by definition. Therefore while considering the peoples? struggle for stateless 
self-organizations, we need to keep a distance to the concept ?nation?. On the other hand 
our approach does not involve likening or similarizing the Koban? Resistance to any other 
historical instances. Nowadays different groups mention different historical periods and 
liken the Koban? Resistance to these instances. However, it must be known that the Koban? 
Resistance is the Koban? Resistance itself; and the Rojava Revolution is the Rojava 
Revolution itself. If one wants to associate the Rojova Revolution, which created the 
basis for social revolution, one can investigate the social revolution that realized in 
the Iberian Peninsula.

Although the resistance in Koban? is happening outside of the borders of the Turkish 
State, solidarity demonstrations were held in every corner of the world. What is your 
evaluation of the effects of the Koban? Resistance ? well the Rojava Revolution, actually 
? on particularly Anatolia but also on the Middle East and also on a global level? What 
are your predictions related to these effects?

M. D.: The calls for serhildan (Kurdish word for uprising) were answered in Anatolia, 
especially in cities in Kurdistan. Starting from the first night (of the demonstrations) 
everyone in the streets saluted the Koban? Resistance and the Rojava Revolution against 
the ISIS gangs and their supporter the Turkish State. Especially in the cities of 
Kurdistan, the state attacked the people?s serhildan with its law enforcement and 
paramilitary associates. The state with its Hizbulkontra (A word play connecting the words 
Hezbollah and Contra-T.N) associates terrorized Kurdistan and killed 43 of our brothers. 
These massacres are indicating how much the Turkish State fears the Rojava revolution and 
the possibility that such a revolution could also generalize in its territory. Attacking 
with the desperation out of fear, the Turkish State and global capitalism have another 
fear is of course related to Middle East region. In the Middle East, despite all the 
plans, depredation and manufactured violence; social revolution still managed to emerge. 
This messed up all the plans of global capitalism and regional states. This is such an 
upheaval that despite all the depravations, social revolution could emerge in Rojava. This 
revolution is the answer to all the doubt of whether revolution can happen in this region 
and on global level. It strengthened the confidence in revolution specifically for the 
people of this region but also on the global scale. The purpose of all social revolutions 
in history was to achieve a globally socialized revolution. In this perspective we called 
international anarchist groups to act in solidarity with the Koban? Resistance and the 
Rojava Revolution. With our call for solidarity, anarchists from different parts of the 
world from Germany, to Athens, to Brussels, to Amsterdam, to Paris and to New York held 
demonstrations. We salute once more every anarchist organization that received our call, 
organized demonstrations related to our call, and those who stayed here with us in the 
human chain border watch.

Starting from the first days of ISIS?s attack, the Turkish State-sponsored media made a 
lot of news that claimed Koban? is about to fall. However, what they understand after more 
than one month now, is this: Koban? won?t fall! Yes, Koban? did not and will not fall. We, 
as Meydan Newspaper, salute your solidarity with Koban?. Is there anything else you want 
to add?

M. D.: We, as revolutionary anarchists, witnessed, lived and are still living the 
invincibleness of the confidence in revolution, even in the circumstances of war in our 
region. What is happening in Rojava is a social revolution! This social revolution, where 
the borders are abolished, states are being rendered powerless, plans of global capitalism 
are disturbed, will also generalize in our region. We invite every oppressed individual to 
look from the point of view of the oppressed. With this awareness we also invite them to 
support the organized struggle for social revolution. This is the only way to fertilize 
the seeds which were planted in Rojava and live the social revolution in wider regions. 
Long Live the Koban? Resistance! Long Live the Rojava Revolution!

This article was published in the 22nd issue of Meydan Newspaper

Source: 
http://meydangazetesi.org/gundem/2014/10/devrimci-anarsist-faaliyet-ile-kobane-uzerine-roportaj-dehaklara-karsi-kawayiz/