The Kurdish people and democratic forces have been on their feet for days, forming a protective barrier around Rojava. They played a significant role in halting the attacks carried out by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) with the backing of the Turkish state. At this stage, the moral and psychological upper hand has shifted to the resistance forces in Rojava. The agreement reached with HTS emerged under these conditions. If HTS fails to abide by this agreement and attempts to impose new demands as it did before, the freedom forces in Rojava will resist with the strong moral support behind them and repel the aggressors.
On February 1, World Rojava Day, Kurds and democratic forces rose up everywhere, particularly in Northern Kurdistan (Bakur). This mobilization also served as a clear warning to HTS and all of its backers. It is evident that the Kurdish people have achieved their national and democratic unity at a societal level. How this unity was forged is, of course, also an important question to understand.
The Kurdish people, whose national existence has long been denied and whose aspiration for a free life has not been accepted, have always lived with a longing for national unity. Yet democratic national unity repeatedly failed to materialize, either because of approaches shaped by the nation-state mentality of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that sought the dominance of a single political force, or because genocidal and colonial states viewed democratic national unity as a threat to their own interests. Even when initiatives emerged, as in 2014, opposition from regional powers and certain external actors caused those efforts to collapse.
The acts of defending Rojava, however, have brought about a new reality. This shift has been made possible primarily by the Kurdish Freedom Movement, which has waged a sustained struggle across the four parts of Kurdistan for 52 years. Over these decades, the movement has forged a Kurdish political climate across Kurdistan’s four parts, the Middle East, and the wider world, one that has become the most fundamental force safeguarding Kurdish gains. Without the creation of such a political climate, the sense of despair that marked the Kurdish condition in the twentieth century might have persisted. Instead, the struggle, carried forward at great cost for decades, has not only generated profound hope across the four parts of Kurdistan, but has also greatly expanded the possibilities of achieving lasting gains.
The Kurdish freedom struggle, through its 52 years of struggle, has both developed national democratic consciousness and intensified the passion for freedom. So much so that today the Kurds’ devotion to freedom and the struggle they wage for it has become an example not only in the Middle East, but across the world. Kurds, long portrayed as backward in the Middle East and globally, have through their democratic stance and passion for freedom become a people met with sympathy and admiration. That Kurds have reached a level of society marked by high moral values in every respect stands today as a reality worthy of honor and pride.
During the resistance shown in Shengal in 2014 and later in Kobanê, the people rose up across the four parts of Kurdistan. The October 6–7–8 actions to defend Kobanê shook the Turkish state, which turned to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and the Kurdish Freedom Movement in an effort to halt the protests. On November 1, declared World Kobanê Day in 2014, not only Kurds but also democratic forces and socialists from all parts of the world rose up. These acts of resistance had a profound impact on the Kurdish people.
The actions to defend Rojava should be seen as a further expansion of the mobilizations to defend Kobanê, extending them more broadly across society. Undoubtedly, the sense of patriotism created by 52 years of freedom struggle across the four parts accumulated and intensified step by step to reach the present day. The creation of such an advanced society is the result of the Kurdish Freedom Movement’s ability to read historical society accurately and to elevate the Kurdish people to moral values that surpass the spirit of the age. Indeed, what can be described today as contemporary thought belongs to the Kurdish Freedom Movement and to Öcalan. Had the nation-state mentality and nationalism of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries prevailed, far from creating such a social reality, Kurdish society would have remained trapped in a narrowed and constrained existence.
The Rojava Revolution, which began 14 years ago, emerged on the foundation created by 20 years of effort by the Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan. The Kurdish people know very well how the Rojava Revolution has been attacked over the past 14 years. Through the democratic system it established through resistance, the Rojava Revolution has influenced the entire Kurdish people and has become their most cherished achievement. For this reason, every attack on Rojava has been met with strong and widespread mobilization.
This spirit of national unity created by the Kurdish people represents a measure and a level that has been reached. Knowing well how this sense of ownership was created and preserving this level has become a historical responsibility. Kurdish political forces are likewise expected to act with a democratic mindset and an understanding of democratic national unity. Rather than acting according to what regional or external powers may say, it is essential to rely primarily on the people themselves and to stand together within a democratic national unity.
We salute the Kurdish people in Northern Kurdistan, Southern Kurdistan (Başur), Eastern Kurdistan (Rojhilat), as well as Kurds in Europe and across the world, for the solidarity they have shown with Rojava. The people of Rojava are already permanently mobilized and are themselves at the heart of resistance.
When the spirit of February 1, the day of standing with Rojava, is upheld, not only Rojava but all Kurds will prevail. However, it remains unclear whether the agreement reached in Rojava will be implemented properly. For this reason, the Kurdish people and democratic forces must remain vigilant and continue their support until a clear and secure status is established in Rojava.
Source: Yeni Yaşam Gazetesi