In Cologne (Germany) , a panel discussion titled “Our Struggle Tasks in Defending the Rojava Revolution” was held with the participation of Sezin Uçar, Deputy Co-Chair of the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), and Murat Okundu, spokesperson for People’s Bridge.
The panel began with a moment of silence in memory of those who became immortal in Rojava. Sezin Uçar then took the floor first.
In her speech, Uçar emphasized that the current attacks on Rojava and the developments in Syria must be examined within their historical context. She noted that, especially after the “Al-Aqsa Flood” resistance initiative on October 7, the genocidal assault launched by Zionist Israel and Zionist aggression also altered power relations in the Middle East. She stated that the ongoing genocide in Gaza continued through Zionist expansionist attacks against Lebanon and ultimately persisted with the overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria. Uçar stressed that the rise to power of the HTS gangs had, in this respect, been directly planned and carried out by the US and Israel, and that HTS had received support from the US and Israel from the very beginning.
Uçar also pointed out that, in light of the changing dynamics in the region and with the aim of dismantling the Rojava Revolution, the Turkish state had been forced to go to İmralı. She emphasized that the main issue in today’s negotiations is still the Rojava Revolution. She underlined that the Rojava Revolution is not only a matter for Kurds, but a matter for all peoples in the region and across the world, and that it must be embraced and defended with this awareness.
Afterwards, Murat Okundu took the floor. In his speech, Okundu spoke about the past and present of the solidarity movement with Rojava in Europe. He stated that ISIS—nurtured and supported by imperialism but declared an enemy once it conflicted with imperialist interests—carried out massacres not only in the Middle East but also in Europe. In this context, he noted that Kurds, as the force fighting ISIS in the region, also received sympathy and support in Europe among the oppressed and working people, and that international solidarity with Rojava initially took shape in this way.
He emphasized that the peak of this active solidarity—embracing a wide range of social forces from anarchists to Marxist-Leninists and from liberals to social democrats—was during the 2014–2015 Kobanê resistance. He noted that millions of people took to the streets worldwide and that various forms of action were used on a mass scale.
Okundu stated that today’s situation, in which people are once again taking to the streets in European cities, recalls the period of the Kobanê resistance, and that the potential to move in this direction clearly exists. He stressed that one key aspect of defending the Rojava Revolution is international solidarity, and highlighted the necessity of strengthening organization everywhere and expanding solidarity.
After questions from the audience, the panel came to an end.
