ŞIRNEX – Kezban Konukçu, spokesperson for the Socialist Solidarity Platform (SODAP) and a member of the delegation that traveled to Rojava amid ongoing attacks, said: “Our primary purpose in coming here is to demonstrate that we stand by the Rojava Revolution and its achievements.”

 

Attacks targeting Rojava by HTS, ISIS, and Turkey-affiliated paramilitary forces continue. In response, a delegation including the co-chairs of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party and the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) crossed into Rojava yesterday and is continuing its engagements on the second day of the visit. After holding meetings yesterday with representatives of political parties and key political actors across various cities in Rojava, the delegation is set to continue its contacts today.

 

Kezban Konukçu, DEM Party MP for Istanbul and spokesperson for SODAP, shared her assessment of the delegation’s visit with Mezopotamya Agency (MA).

 

Stating that the delegation traveled to Rojava to stand by the Rojava Revolution, Kezban Konukçu said, “We formed this delegation to defend the achievements here and to convey the situation on the ground to public opinion worldwide. We are holding meetings with political parties and civil society organizations. Our main purpose in coming here is to demonstrate that we stand by the Rojava Revolution and its achievements. We are here to express our solidarity with the Kurdish people, which we consider of great importance. Our aim is to make clear to the entire public who is being labeled a ‘terrorist’ and who, in reality, is opposing the people’s achievements here—namely equality, women’s freedom, and the building of an ecological way of life.”

 

‘THEY WANT TO SUFFOCATE THE ROJAVA REVOLUTION’

 

Emphasizing that the Rojava Revolution is an extremely valuable revolution not only for the Middle East but for the entire world, Kezban Konukçu said, “Because in a geography like the Middle East, it has emerged like an oasis in the desert. By fighting against and repelling the barbarity and brutality of ISIS, it established an egalitarian, women’s liberation–oriented, and ecological system in its own geography, and it has been able to defend this revolutionary system for years. With the recent attacks, these achievements are now being targeted for elimination. Imperialist powers and monolithic fascist regimes in the region want to suffocate this revolution. Above all, they do not want this revolution to offer hope to peoples in the region and around the world. They do not want it to become a model. Just as this model is a source of hope for peoples, it is also a nightmare for them. They are trying to destroy it. We have come here to show that we will not allow this to happen and to demonstrate our solidarity with the Kurdish people.”

 

‘WE DO NOT WANT TO BE NEIGHBORS WITH ISIS’

 

Stressing that HTS is a continuation of ISIS, Kezban Konukçu said, “As a socialist from Turkey, I would also like to state that we are not here solely to stand in solidarity with the Kurdish people, but also for our own future—for the future of the peoples and workers of Turkey. The structure they refer to as HTS is, in fact, an organization made up of remnants of ISIS. And ISIS is the organization responsible for the Ankara Train Station bombing, the Amed rally attack, and the Antep massacre in Turkey. Referring to this brutal gang as an ‘organization’ is, in fact, inaccurate. As socialists from Turkey, we do not want to be neighbors with this gang. We do not want to be neighbors with ISIS. We want to be neighbors with those who have brought the revolution in Rojava to life—the founders of the Rojava Revolution—because we see our own future here as well,” she said.

 

‘WE MUST ACT IN SOLIDARITY’

 

Recalling that socialists previously stood by Kobanê when it was attacked and besieged by ISIS on three fronts in 2014, Kezban Konukçu continued as follows: “Just as we defended Kobanê ten years ago, we must today defend the Rojava Revolution with the same spirit. The force standing against the Kurdish people and the peoples living here is the same force—the same mindset. It is its continuation, its remnants. As we did during that period, we must stand with the Kurdish people and act in solidarity. The revolution here is not solely the revolution of the Kurdish people; it is a model both for the Middle East and for the world. How can an egalitarian social structure moving toward socialism be built in the 21st century? This model has been put into practice here for more than ten years. There is a revolution here that is capable of defending itself. To suffocate this revolution would mean suffocating the hopes of peoples on the path toward revolution.”

 

‘THE FUTURE IS HERE’

 

Calling on socialists in particular, and on everyone who identifies as a democrat, to take action in defense of the Rojava Revolution, Kezban Konukçu said, “Alevis, Sunnis, democrats, all peoples who stand for equality, and workers must take ownership of the process unfolding here. They must put pressure on the government in Turkey against the attacks. What we must truly stand by is the revolution in Rojava and the achievements here. The future lies in Rojava—not in the model put forward by HTS, a remnant of ISIS.”

 

MA /Emrullah Acar