“Daily assaults” by Turkish forces on Kurdish-led North and East Syria were condemned in an open letter issued on Monday signed by educators and staff from the region’s Rojava University, Kobani University, and Al-Sharq University. The letter pleaded for international solidarity and peace, and included a call for Israeli strikes to cease in Gaza.
The Coordination Centre of Universities in North and East Syria, which drafted the letter, detailed the grievous impact of such attacks on “civilians and the destruction of critical infrastructure like hospitals and schools”, underlining that “pain and suffering knows no borders”.
Demanding “unity and a collective struggle for peace and social justice”, they urged the world’s academic community to take a stand: “We call upon our fellow academics globally to recognise their responsibility and join us in the struggle against this Third World War of conflicts.”
The letter lamented the forced closure of their universities due to the continuous Turkish attacks but reaffirmed a “commitment to education and the advancement of peace”, whilst underscoring the importance of knowledge and ethical science in cultivating democracy and peace.
