After ISIS had expanded its presence into northern and eastern Syria and initiated an assault on Kobanê in September 2014, the extremist group had captured most of the city by 2 October, but the siege of the city was met with fierce resistance by local Kurdish fighters.
On 22 September, Abdullah Öcalan issued a warning from İmralı Island Prison. “The fall of Kobanê means the fall of all Kurdistan,” he said, calling on everyone to “act according to this reality”.
The town’s plight captured the world’s attention, prompting numerous individuals and organisations to take action, while many notable figures joined together to sign a declaration expressing solidarity with Kobanê.
Tens of thousands of people across the globe rallied for Kobane on 1 November 2014, which was announced as ‘World Kobanê Day‘.
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of World Kobanê Day, we publish part three of our interview with Sefkan Kobanê, one of the Kurdish fighters of the resistance of Kobanê and author of the book ‘Kobanê Resistance Diary’, which sheds light on how the historic victory over ISIS was achieved.
In part three of his exclusive interview with Medya News, Sefkan Kobanê tells us about the mobilisation of people to defend Kobanê in 2014 and calls for renewed and widespread support for the Rojava revolution against the ongoing attacks of the Turkish state.
Enjoy reading the third and final part of the interview below. You can also navigate to part one and part two of the interview.
The full video of the interview is available here.
Medya News:
Following a call from Öcalan in 2015, thousands of Kurdish youth joined the armed resistance in Rojava. If a new call from Öcalan were to happen, what could the leader call for and what influence would it have on the Kurdish people and international supporters?
Sefkan Kobanê:
Öcalan always said: Rojava is my red line. There is our project of democratic modernity, of the unity of all peoples, of all ethnicities, where freedom is achieved through unity and peace. This project is a red line for Öcalan because the project is for women’s freedom, ecology, freedom. In order to protect it, Öcalan announced a mobilisation. When did it happen? An attack occurred, the 15 September 2014, Öcalan made the call. He said: “You will protect Kobanê.”
What happened after that? We witnessed it: all the young people, the women, the elders, opened the border, the gateway to Kobanê from Turkey. On 19 July, the second anniversary of Kobanê, thousands of people crossed the border from Suruç to Kobanê. It was full of mines and explosives, but they crossed; the Turkish state had stationed its own tanks and soldiers there, but they [the people] crossed and came. They came and said: “We will defend Kobane.” They lifted the border. For 100 years, since the Treaty of Lausanne, the border was there, but the people completely removed it.
What did they do after that? Afterwards, again following Öcalan’s call, many young people, women and elders came. We asked them, these elders and mothers: “What are you going to do?” We will cook for you, we will drive for you, we will carry your ammunition. Whatever is needed, we will do to the very best of our ability. We will be at your side with body and soul to defend the value of the people of Kurdistan, to defend against the monstrosity of ISIS. Only consent us to do this, because we came with body and soul.
Of course, after this call we looked around us and we saw that many came from Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhilat), from Iraqi Kurdistan (Başûr), from Europe many internationalists came, also from the Turkish left; humanity like a big stream came to Kobanê against ISIS, against their barbarity, because there, as they fought against the giant fascism, against Hitler, like Stalingrad, there was a small place against which ISIS used all the tanks, the explosives, the monstrosity. But they were confronted by the YPG, the YPJ, our resistance, with only Kalashnikovs, only grenades, but with spirit and conscience.
Slowly the whole of humanity began to mobilise, the so-called international coalition was forced to give help. Then, in their first assistance, they sent help with parachutes, but the biggest resistance in Northern Kurdistan (Kurdish-majority areas of southeast Turkey, known as Bakur) took place on 6, 7 and 8 October 2014. In every part of Northern Kurdistan, the Turkish state made blockades and didn’t allow any people to bring help. That’s the resistance of Northern Kurdistan.
The people sacrificed a lot for the resistance, the people were massacred, but in occupied Northern Kurdistan, millions of people mobilised. The Turkish state was scared and went to Öcalan. They informed Öcalan: Öcalan said “Kobanê is my red line, if you support ISIS, the people will rise.”
Öcalan also said to the people: “The state should not interfere anymore.” Under these circumstances, Öcalan always wants to protect and defend Rojava and Kobanê. Now the situation has arisen again, they attack again; when the attacks occurred in the past Öcalan used to say, “This is my red line, I’ve said it before.”
Now it is also like that, the defence of Rojava is the defence of Kurdistan, of the revolution, of democratic modernity, of free women, of ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ (Woman, Life, Freedom), the defence of the symbol of all values of humanity today. The defence of Kobanê, Rojava, the northeast of Syria is all this, once again humanity will take care of them on 1 November.
There is a monstrous attack, now, in current days, there have been attacks one after the other. Over the last few days, the Turkish state has completely destroyed all the basic installations necessary for life, such as water, hospitals, electricity and gas centres, everything has been destroyed. The society, five million people, remained without electricity, without water; the Turkish state would have liked to destroy the grain fields, the bakeries, to make the people flee. But the people didn’t leave. The society remained without electricity, without water, they struggled with difficulties, but these peoples, Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen, Syrians, they all resisted. The whole world saw it, but they didn’t condemn it. This was a big mistake.
On 1 November, in the spirit of Kobanê, the whole world must support the revolution in Rojava against the monstrosity of the AKP-MHP-Erdoğan government, just as there are protests against the monstrous attacks Israel is committing in Gaza and Lebanon. It is necessary to support the revolution on 1 November, as of Öcalan’s call. There has been a significant call for solidarity on 1 November, World Kobanê Day, the same solidarity must be shown for Rojava and the revolution this year.
Medya News:
Thank you. To conclude our interview: do you have a final message?
Sefkan Kobanê:
We said that supporting Rojava is caring for humanity, caring for internationalism, for the martyrs of Rojava and of all humanity, caring for the values of the revolution. For this reason, democratic socialism, a new spirit, a new hope, socialism, equality and freedom have again blossomed over there, and have spread all over the world.
In the 21st century, Rojava is the symbol of the revolution, the symbol of the revolution in the Middle East. If the wars and conflicts end, this project is there in the west of Kurdistan. Or if the war and conflicts in the region spread like the Third World War, the symbol of Rojava will be the only one to stand against it.
Öcalan’s project of Rojava can only grow if Öcalan is freed, with the struggle of the Kurdish people, all peoples and humanity, with the care of the spirit of internationalism, with democratic socialism all over the world. Once again, I celebrate 1 November, World Kobanê Day, with all peoples and the whole world.
