international brigade in Rojava

The call by the Marxist Leninist Communist Party (MLKP) ‘to defend the Rojava revolution’ has reverberated in Europe as well as in Turkey. Internationalist revolutionaries have begun to travel to the land of the revolution. The goal is to establish an international brigade to defend the revolution in all languages and spread the language of revolution throughout the world. The Rojava revolution not only brings news of a new life to the peoples of the Middle East, but also to the peoples of the whole world. The MLKP was the first organisation in the Turkish revolutionary movement to respond to the revolution in Rojava.
Since the beginning of the revolution there it has taken its place, even if only with a modest force, both in the construction of the revolution and in the front line. At the moment the MLKP has fighters in Serêkaniyê and Kobanê in Rojava and also in Sinjar fighting alongside the HPG/YJA Star guerrillas and the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBŞ) against ISIS. Four MLKP fighters have fallen in the struggle, Serkan Tosun, who died in Serêkaniyê on 14 September 2013 and Suphi Nejat Ağırnaslı (Paramaz Kızılbaş), Sibel Bulut (Sarya Özgür) and Oğuz Saruhan (Algan Zafir), who fell during the resistance in Kobanê. The MLKP is now engaged in trying to form an international brigade and is in contact with revolutionary organisations from Latin America to Europe and from the Balkans to the Far East. MLKP members from Europe have also joined the brigade and Kurdish, Turkish, Arabic, German, English and Spanish are being spoken. However, there is no problem with communication as the mother tongue is the language of revolution.

From Madrid to Rojava
The MLKP’s efforts to create an international brigade recall the international brigades established to defend Madrid during the Spanish Civil War. When I was with the fighters I could hear the words ‘No pasaran’ in my ears. In those days Spain was not just Spain, it was the peoples’ hope and future. Nearly 80 years later communists say: “Rojava is not just Rojava” and are coming to join the international brigade. MLKP commander Dilan Serkan said the party had been in Rojava since 2012, adding that they had predominantly fought in the ranks of the YPG/YPJ. She said: “The Rojava revolution is a new signal flare of hope in the Middle East, Turkey and North Kurdistan. We want to help construct and develop this revolution. As MLKP fighters we are aware of our role and task in this process. We have gained valuable experience here and the idea of an international brigade has grown out of this.”

Rojava is a call for world revolution
Dilan Serkan said that an international brigade would be an expression of international solidarity with Rojava, and would be one of the main channels for carrying the hope of the revolution to the rest of the world. “An international brigade is essential as Rojava might be a small place, but it contains a great treasure. A new hope is putting forth shoots. We therefore wish to emphasise the importance for all parties and organisations of taking ownership of this project and for concrete steps to be taken without delay.”