Worldwide ICOR/ILPS day of action: “Efrîn will live”

Overall picture:

We have nowhere near received all reports on the Efrîn day of action. However, the ICOR already can proudly state: as ICOR day of struggle, so far the day has been extraordinarily successful, was made a milestone of the solidarity with the Kurdish liberation struggle by many ICOR organizations, and several ILPS organizations as well, with actions, protests, demonstrations and celebrations, and had an impact and appeal far beyond ICOR. “Biji berxwedana Afrine” – long live the resistance in Afrin: this call was carried through streets and rally venues everywhere in the world. For the first time, in addition to the four joint ICOR days of struggle a worldwide day of action of ICOR was organized on all continents. The protests thus even reached countries where no or very few Kurds live and in which this anti-imperialist struggle to date has played no role or hardly any role. So far we have knowledge of activities from 20 countries. Besides Kurdistan, from India, Belarus, Russia, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, France, Germany, Peru, Finland, Greece, Austria, Paraguay, Panama, Venezuela, the Netherlands, South Africa and New Zealand.

Particularly the following elements were remarkable:

The ICOR cooperated with a huge spectrum of diverse allies. For instance, in Germany the ICOR organization MLPD worked together with the organizations Nav-Dem, Atik, Atif, Agif, PYD, YPG/YPJ, TeV-Dem, Rojava-Women WJAR, Yazidi organizations, Rebell, Internationalist Alliance, the party “The Left”, Monday Demonstration movement, Women’s League Courage, Solidarity International (SI), AUF Gelsenkirchen, Rojava Association Gelsenkirchen, Student League XYK Bochum, Kurdish Center Essen, DIDF, Bir-Kar, ZUG Albstadt, DKP, Interventionist Left Göppingen, Initiative for the Reconstruction of Kobane, Grass-Roots Democratic Left Göppingen, Darmstadt Peace Alliance, Solidarity Circle for Efrîn, Third World Action, Saarland Refugee Council, Kurdish "Red Sun”, Democratic Kurdish Social Center Aschaffenburg, International Women’s Cafe Hattingen, Peace Forum, German-Kurdish Cultural Association Dortmund.

ICOR organizations combined the solidarity with Efrîn with the class struggle in their own countries; for instance, in South Africa, when the CPSA/ML drew a connection to the day of remembrance for the Sharpeville Massacre on the same day.

Many ICOR organizations combined the activities with educational work or even made this the main activity in cases where Rojava, Efrîn or even the Kurdish question in general are not yet known to people in the country concerned. Thus, reports were received about seminars and workshops in Peru, Ukraine and South Africa.

Worthy of high recognition are courageous activities that took place under especially repressive conditions in various countries. In Russia, for example, during the time of the presidential elections there was an absolute ban on demonstrations – with the exception of individuals carrying a placard, for example. The ICOR organization did exactly that in front of the Turkish Embassy in Moscow!

Particularly noteworthy were also the activities of the “Friends of ICOR”. These are individuals or small groups that do not yet have the possibility of working as an organization. Such a day of action gave them the opportunity in several countries to act on behalf of and publicize ICOR and to win new companions. For instance, from Portugal we received a photo of a lovingly crafted banner being carried by Friends of ICOR.

The ICOR day of action was part of a worldwide movement on the occasion of Newroz, the Kurdish New Year, joined with it, strengthened it, and was itself strengthened in the process. In this sense the day was a day of mutual support and mutual benefit.

Important was the worldwide solidarity and information, carried out under the slogan of the Closing Resolution of the 3rd World Conference: “The ICOR parties and organizations resolutely and consistently oppose all imperialist powers and US imperialism as the enemy of all peoples; in the imperialist countries, they see the main enemy in their own countries.”

The ICOR organizations grew together on this day and met their obligations from the Solidarity Pact: “The solidarity pact develops international solidarity with the struggle of the Kurdish people for national and social liberation, and links it with the international revolutionary and working-class movement.”

Here the single reports (others will follow):

EUROPE

From France we received the following solidarity address which the Friends of ICOR-UPML sent to all Kurdish organizations in Paris on the occasion of Newroz: “We fully support you in the spirit of the appeal. Everywhere in the world millions of people have taken to the streets in solidarity with the struggle against the Turkish government, for democracy and freedom, against the invasion of Efrîn in violation of international law.”

From Portugal this photo of a solidarity activity in Porto was sent to us by the “Friends of ICOR/Portugal”. The comrades there distributed the call of ICOR and ILPS.

In Scotland, too, “Friends of ICOR” demonstrated their solidarity.

From the Netherlands, Coni Ledesma, representative of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), wrote to us: “Here in the Netherlands we will join forces with the ICOR and the Kurds on Saturday, 24 March, for a demonstration in Amsterdam.”

The ICOR organization Rode Morgen, Netherlands, reports: “March 21 was election day so that activities were not possible on that day. We are preparing a big demonstration/action in Amsterdam for Saturday, March 24.”

MLGS Switzerland together with allied forces organized activities and will report about them in a contribution for the ICOR website in the coming days.

From Russia, from the Union of Communist Youth (SKM) we received a photo of a solidarity action with Efrîn and the Kurdish people’s and women’s defense units YPG/YPJ.

From Belarus the Red Wedge reported: “We are following the situation in Efrîn and Rojava and are spreading information about it.”

In Ukraine, KSRD is holding discussion meetings with activists and other interested persons on 21 March in various cities of Ukraine and will present materials on the situation in Rojava there.

MLP in Russia is organizing a picket on 21 March in front of the Turkish embassy in Moscow under the slogan “Hands off Efrîn!”

KSC-CSSP from Czechia reports that it approves the call for solidarity with Efrîn and intends to write a statement to the Turkish embassy in Czechia.

From Germany:

Solely based on the reports received so far (22 March), more than 7,000 people in 35 cities demonstrated in connection with the ICOR/ILPS day of struggle; in the weeks preceding this the ICOR parties already had taken to the streets with tens of thousands. The ICOR party MLPD consciously decided, together with its numerous allies, in favor of local activities on 21 March in order to reach many people from Germany, to inform them and draw them into the struggle. The number of organizations with which alliances were formed was unparalleled. The Kurdish grassroots forces were involved throughout; Ezidi (Yazidi) organizations, migrants’ associations and organizations from other countries like Turkey, Palestine, Iran … or German organizations like The Left, DKP, Interventionist Left, etc..

We received a letter from Pêşkevin Yilmaz from the Federation of Ezidi Associations, Navenda Yekîtiya Komelên Êzîdiya, in Germany:

“The city of Efrîn has not fallen! The resistance struggle of the Kurdish fighters has entered a new phase. … In the Turkish war of aggression against the Kurds in Northern Syria, German weapons and technologies are being used to a much greater extent than was previously known. A war of aggression by a NATO partner in violation of international law with German assistance?! The German federal government fundamentally adheres to its policy of arms exports to Turkey. … A further deal or demand of the Turkish government concerns the ban of Kurdish associations and Kurdish demonstrations in Germany. For weeks, all means have been employed by the German authorities to ban Kurdish events, institutions, associations and to arrest Kurdish personalities. Instead of wanting to criminalize the Kurds in Germany by all means, something which is inconceivable anyway, the Federal Republic of Germany should immediately terminate the deal with the Erdogan regime.”

ASIA

In Kurdistan and the Kurdish areas in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran at least 600,000 people took to the streets – millions participated in the Newroz celebrations. Even in Istanbul and Izmir tens of thousands demonstrated despite arrests by the fascist Erdogan regime.

Sri Lanka, NDMLP, in a message expresses “solidarity with the Kurdish people in their defence of Afrin against Turkish aggression”.

AFRICA

In South Africa the Communist Party of South Africa/Marxist-Leninist (CPSA/ML) conducted workshops today. The party writes: "On 21 March we will hold workshops – you know that 21 March is Sharpeville Day in commemoration of the 1960 massacre. We think it is a good idea in South Africa to combine Efrîn with the commemoration of the massacre of Sharpeville.”

AMERICA

Several messages of greetings were received from Latin America:

From Paraguay Atilio Saúl writes on behalf of the Central Committee of Partido Comunista Paraguayo (independiente):

“We will do everything possible to express our solidarity against this outrageous aggression. … Please accept the warm, fraternal greetings of the Partido Comunista Paraguayo (independiente).”

PCR from Argentina writes: “Dear comrades, in Argentina there is a delegation of Kurdish women and we are continually organizing activities.”

Partido Proletario del Peru (PPP) from Peru announced it would hold a conference on 21 March regarding the situation in Rojava and Efrîn.

PC(ml) from Panama sends proletarian greetings: “We certainly will take part in the global day of action ‘Efrîn will live’ on 21 March. For us, the communists (Marxist-Leninists) of Panama, this, with the Canton Efrîn of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria/Rojava, against the aggression and invasion of the fascist Turkish regimes, is of fundamental and strategic significance … against any intervention aiming at domination by Turkish imperialism and the imperialist superpowers behind it – USA, Russia and social-imperialist China – with their efforts to gain possession, their European colonialist imperialist allies, these new imperialist countries and reactionary Arab new states in the Middle East. ... You can ... count on our determination to realize our active participation in the campaign for the defense of the Canton Efrîn and to denounce the odious armed aggression of Turkey and its helpers, Syrian and other nationalist reactionaries. ... With the confidence that … Efrîn can win!”

OCEANIA:

Friends of ICOR from New Zealand send heartfelt internationalist greetings of solidarity to Efrîn and to all continents on the worldwide Efrîn day of action: “Our hearts are with the people in Efrîn. You are not alone!”