We document an translated article of Austrian comrades from "Antifaschistische Aktion - Infoblatt" concerning the attack of the Turkish state against Syrian and Kurdish people:
Imperialists: Hands off Syria! Hands of the Kurdish people!
Starting with January 20th 2018, the reactionary Turkish state started it’s operation “olivbranch”, a cynical term for starting an massacre and genocide which is now going on in the region. This military offensive is the continuation of a campaign of mass distruction against the Kurdish people, which is going on for decades, although today under new circumstances , the sharpening contradictions between imperialists of the “west” (USA and the alliance of the EU) and their Russian rival, as well as the rising desire for national independence of the several arabic nationalities.
The city and district of Afrin, with up to 700.000 inhabitants, lies in Syria’s northwest. The people of this region does not just consist of Kurds, but also of Arabic minorities such as Bedouins and Roma. In this region talking exceptionally of a “Kurdish liberation”, therefore cuts the measure short, because the matter is the liberation of different oppressed nationalities from imperialist oppression. Focusing this massacre one-sided on “Kurdistan” or “Rojava”, undermines the urging necessity of the joint fighting front of the Kurdish and Arabic masses.
The bloody Turkish massacre in Afrin must be condemned with highest resoluteness and the right of self determination and self defense has to be firmly defended as a part of international solidarity. As antiimperialist and revolutionary forces we also have to recognize the fact that the Kurdish units lost strength of their organized power to resist. The Turkish campaign of destruction, among other reasons, is fed by by current weaknesses of the Kurdish leadership and it’s commanders, who, mainly since the military alliance against the ISIS, are closely bound to US-imperialists, and in this situation of “no interference” by the military forces of the USA, created a situation which does not leave a wide scope for independent actions of the Kurdish militias. In this situation, in which the broad masses where led by the Kurdish leaders, the call for support from the EU by leading Kurdish organizations appears logical. Such “imperialist support” can’t be anything else as another imperialist move on the backs of the peoples, as proven by the “support in Rojava” by the USA. The so called “tactical alliances” with US-imperialism, as they are defended by some Kurdish leaders, are the reason why the Kurdish organizations find increasingly less stable partners amongst the Arabic peoples, which are mainly united due to the hatred against US-imperialism and are interested in expelling imperialism from the region and therefore would share a common interest with the Kurdish people. Due to the vacillations of the Kurdish leaders the masses of the Kurdish people are now relatively isolated and they together with the whole region became a cheap loot in the contradictions between the imperialists, causing suffering exclusively for the people, which is paying the prize with blood. The “interference” of Russia or the mobilization of Assad’s troops should not bring us to the wrong conclusion, to call this “support for Afrin” or a “help for the Kurds”, as claimed by some representatives of the Kurdish movement. The so called “middle east”, western Asia, is currently the main theater for re-sectioning of colonial countries between the big imperialists, USA and Alliance of EU on one hand, Russia and partly China on the other hand. In this situation Russian Imperialism also tries to preserve and defend its position in Syria against USA, because of this Russia is providing military help for Assad.
A wave of solidarity demonstrations spread over many cities of the world and in Europe and is keeping up until today. This justified protest against genocide in Afrin mus be welcomed and supported by all antiimperialist forces. We resolutely condemn this genocide which is conducted by the imperialists. Especially in Austria must be underlined: Austrian imperialism amasses profits on the back of Afrin, Austrian weapons are used their as well! The many victims of Afrin urge all honest antiimperialist and revolutionary forces to deny all collaboration with imperialists and instead strongly trust in the power of the masses, defend the right of self determination of the oppressed peoples and support them on their road to new democratic revolution!