A report from the IRSP on the Kurdish YPG's struggle against the Islamic State.


YPG ‘Fighting for all humanity’! Belfast meeting urged to support the Kurdish resistance.


The fight between the savagery of the self-styled ‘Islamic state’ and the Kurdish YPG defence militias represents a fight for survival between two fundamentally opposing views of civilisation, and those with even the most basic grasp of progressive ideas must decide today which side they are on and act.


So was told a gathering in Belfast’s Conway mill on Saturday 12th September 2015. The public meeting ‘Eyewitness from Syria ‘featured contributions from the mother of a fallen English YPG fighter who was killed in action in March this year and a 62 year old who himself had volunteered for action with the Kurdish Resistance.

Vicci Scurfield, mother of Konstandinos Erik Scurfield – the first English fighter to die fighting in defence of the Kurdish people – travelled to Belfast along with 62 year old former archaeologist Alan Brooke who himself volunteered for action with the YPG. Although being turned down for active service due to his age, Alan was taken on a tour of the Qandil mountain region considered a liberated zone of the Kurdish resistance. There he was introduced to the PKK leadership and shown around the guerrilla camps before being urged by the resistance fighters to return home and build support for their cause.

Add caption

Both speakers gave acute in-depth and moving reasons for why international fighters are travelling to defend the Kurdish people from the brutal onslaught of ISIS and why it is vital that others with progressive mindsets here do all in their power to give practical support to the YPG.

Vicci Scurfield described her son in the most ordinary of terms stressing the humanity of the young man who spent his short life immersing himself in a myriad of lifestyle activities; an aspiring actor and literature enthusiast who spent his 21st birthday hiking across the Alps in order to complete National Service in Greece (her native country) before taking up boxing and becoming a Royal Marine Commando in England.




She described how ‘Kosta’ (as he was affectionately known) became increasingly sympathetic to radical ideas on reading reports of the gallant resistance put up by Kurdish resistance at Kobane, which she described as ‘turning the tide against ISIS’. Determined to ‘even up the odds against the savagery of the so called ‘Islamic State’, Kosta walked out on the Marines by stating to them plainly ‘let me go or I will desert’.

In December 2013 he made his mother aware that he intended to go fight for the YPG at which point she tried to prevent him from doing so, but to no avail. She described how after only 10 days he took part in the rescue of over 5000 encircled Yazidis on the Sinjar Mountain in north western Iraq, helping them escape an encirclement that promised certain death.





Describing Islamic State as no less than a Cult of death, a criminal empire engaged in wholesale slaughter, rape and oppression, Vikki described in vivid detail how its followers profited from industrial scale child sexual exploitation, slavery and theft.

Chillingly she spelt out the rights of non followers under the rule of Islamic State…. ‘If they want your house? Your dead, if they want your jewellery? Your dead, if they want your six year old daughter? Your dead’.

Worryingly, Vikki described how at least 30 foreign ISIS fighters came from Ireland and how in logistical terms Islamic State were in no way defeated and how Airstrikes by both the Turkish and Nato governments were aimed more so at tempering the growing power of the progressive liberated Kurdish areas than at I.S itself. She finished by stating her own belief that the only truly progressive force in the region was the Kurdish resistance and appealed on those present to do all in their power to provide practical support to the resistance fighters of the YPG.


Alan Brooke described with the aid of a slideshow, the logistical and political terrain within which the Kurdish resistance operate as well as explaining in great depth, the theoretical backbone of the Kurdish movement ‘democratic con-federalism’ applied in a Kurdish its unprecedented commitment to equality, democracy and women’s rights.

Alan described the conflict situation as representing a clash of views on the purpose of civilisation itself, stressing how ‘Islamic State’ followed a world-view in which a savage state ensured that women and minorities would be oppressed and where barbarity and intolerance were the order of the day, whereas on the other hand the Kurdish resistance were attempting to create communities based on compassion, tolerance and Socialism.

Echoing his comrade Vicci who finished by stating …’the best of Humanity have gone to join the YPG, while the worst have joined ISIS’ Alan finished by urging those in attendance to form active support groups on the ground which could provide practical assistance to the YPG.

The Belfast Kurdish community where in fine attendance on the day, and as a result valuable links were forged between Local Republican Socialists and our International comrades.


The Republican Socialist movement would like to thank all those who attended to make the day such a memorable success and take this opportunity to echo the calls of our visitors who rightly stressed the importance of giving active support for the Kurdish resistance, in defence of Socialism and in opposition to barbarism.


 

Video footage (Parts 1 & 2) available below.

 

 

 

 

 

 


YPG ‘Fighting For All Humanity’!

 A report from the IRSP on the Kurdish YPG's struggle against the Islamic State.


YPG ‘Fighting for all humanity’! Belfast meeting urged to support the Kurdish resistance.


The fight between the savagery of the self-styled ‘Islamic state’ and the Kurdish YPG defence militias represents a fight for survival between two fundamentally opposing views of civilisation, and those with even the most basic grasp of progressive ideas must decide today which side they are on and act.


So was told a gathering in Belfast’s Conway mill on Saturday 12th September 2015. The public meeting ‘Eyewitness from Syria ‘featured contributions from the mother of a fallen English YPG fighter who was killed in action in March this year and a 62 year old who himself had volunteered for action with the Kurdish Resistance.

Vicci Scurfield, mother of Konstandinos Erik Scurfield – the first English fighter to die fighting in defence of the Kurdish people – travelled to Belfast along with 62 year old former archaeologist Alan Brooke who himself volunteered for action with the YPG. Although being turned down for active service due to his age, Alan was taken on a tour of the Qandil mountain region considered a liberated zone of the Kurdish resistance. There he was introduced to the PKK leadership and shown around the guerrilla camps before being urged by the resistance fighters to return home and build support for their cause.

Add caption

Both speakers gave acute in-depth and moving reasons for why international fighters are travelling to defend the Kurdish people from the brutal onslaught of ISIS and why it is vital that others with progressive mindsets here do all in their power to give practical support to the YPG.

Vicci Scurfield described her son in the most ordinary of terms stressing the humanity of the young man who spent his short life immersing himself in a myriad of lifestyle activities; an aspiring actor and literature enthusiast who spent his 21st birthday hiking across the Alps in order to complete National Service in Greece (her native country) before taking up boxing and becoming a Royal Marine Commando in England.




She described how ‘Kosta’ (as he was affectionately known) became increasingly sympathetic to radical ideas on reading reports of the gallant resistance put up by Kurdish resistance at Kobane, which she described as ‘turning the tide against ISIS’. Determined to ‘even up the odds against the savagery of the so called ‘Islamic State’, Kosta walked out on the Marines by stating to them plainly ‘let me go or I will desert’.

In December 2013 he made his mother aware that he intended to go fight for the YPG at which point she tried to prevent him from doing so, but to no avail. She described how after only 10 days he took part in the rescue of over 5000 encircled Yazidis on the Sinjar Mountain in north western Iraq, helping them escape an encirclement that promised certain death.





Describing Islamic State as no less than a Cult of death, a criminal empire engaged in wholesale slaughter, rape and oppression, Vikki described in vivid detail how its followers profited from industrial scale child sexual exploitation, slavery and theft.

Chillingly she spelt out the rights of non followers under the rule of Islamic State…. ‘If they want your house? Your dead, if they want your jewellery? Your dead, if they want your six year old daughter? Your dead’.

Worryingly, Vikki described how at least 30 foreign ISIS fighters came from Ireland and how in logistical terms Islamic State were in no way defeated and how Airstrikes by both the Turkish and Nato governments were aimed more so at tempering the growing power of the progressive liberated Kurdish areas than at I.S itself. She finished by stating her own belief that the only truly progressive force in the region was the Kurdish resistance and appealed on those present to do all in their power to provide practical support to the resistance fighters of the YPG.


Alan Brooke described with the aid of a slideshow, the logistical and political terrain within which the Kurdish resistance operate as well as explaining in great depth, the theoretical backbone of the Kurdish movement ‘democratic con-federalism’ applied in a Kurdish its unprecedented commitment to equality, democracy and women’s rights.

Alan described the conflict situation as representing a clash of views on the purpose of civilisation itself, stressing how ‘Islamic State’ followed a world-view in which a savage state ensured that women and minorities would be oppressed and where barbarity and intolerance were the order of the day, whereas on the other hand the Kurdish resistance were attempting to create communities based on compassion, tolerance and Socialism.

Echoing his comrade Vicci who finished by stating …’the best of Humanity have gone to join the YPG, while the worst have joined ISIS’ Alan finished by urging those in attendance to form active support groups on the ground which could provide practical assistance to the YPG.

The Belfast Kurdish community where in fine attendance on the day, and as a result valuable links were forged between Local Republican Socialists and our International comrades.


The Republican Socialist movement would like to thank all those who attended to make the day such a memorable success and take this opportunity to echo the calls of our visitors who rightly stressed the importance of giving active support for the Kurdish resistance, in defence of Socialism and in opposition to barbarism.


 

Video footage (Parts 1 & 2) available below.

 

 

 

 

 

 


6 comments:

  1. ISIS are all of the above descriptions, but not our problem.No more NATO wars in the Middle East.We are way to immature in the West to deal with the ISIS ideology, or maybe too indebted to rich Arab nations who believe exactly the same thing as ISIS.
    For example, in Raqqa they took over all the Christian churches,looted them and painted them black, Saudi buys UK Churches and converts them into mosques. We call it re-development in the UK, and ethnic cleansing over there.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Daithi,

    ISIS are all of the above descriptions, but not our problem

    It is partly an Irish problem... Irish Mercenaries Training Syrian Death Squads

    "One of the rebels tells the French reporter that “three former soldiers of the Irish military elite” provided training to Syrian rebels. It is claimed the Irish soldiers were acting as “independent mercenaries”. These “former soldiers of the Irish military elite” are acting in violation of international law"

    And Peter Sutherland just a little over two years ago told the British House of Lords "The EU should "do its best to undermine" the "homogeneity" of its member states, the UN's special representative for migration"

    For something that isn't "our problem", Irish people have serious questions to answer and ask themselves....

    ReplyDelete
  3. frankie, unless you believe in collective punishment,the Irish as a whole have nothing to answer for.And for every mercenary training people (and there was an appeal on this site for support for the YPG type people!), how many more do you get of the pathetic Irish sort,ashamed of being white, ashamed they dont prostrate themselves enough to other cultures, and using #RefugeesWelcome hashtags to flag their own helplessness.
    I think individuals are more or less responsible for their own choices, insofar as they are in control of their faculties, its probably why the gospel is a curse to some.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Daithi,

    It's more of a collective responsibility. Not a collective punishment. For example the Irish by and large turned a blind eye to the rendition flights in and out of Shannon as far back as 2001/2002 and probably before.

    I am not knocking the people who are training the YPG. But to think everyone who sign's up to train or be be trained by the YPG are going to use their new skills to fight ISIS is naive. How many Loyalists joined British Army regiments, B Specials, RUC to fight for "truth justice and a very British way" but their main reason for for joining was the training and acquiring arms to use on the locals? Why can't the same happen in the middle east today with whoever getting training only to use the weapons against the people who helped them in the first place?


    And when you look at whats going to happen sooner or later, Ireland will accept several thousand economic migrants. And on both sides of the border there are people waitng on hospital waiting lists, waiting to be rehoused, looking for jobs,...



    In another post you mentioned the murder of Lawrence Foley. The two people accused of the murder, Salem bin Suweid and Yasser Freihat both said in a Jordanian court that their confessions were forced out of them. How often have you, me or who ever read about forced confessions from innocent people in Castlereagh, Strand Road....

    Jordan doesn't have a great human rights record.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Frankie, if an individual is deemed guilty of such a grevious offence surely it follows punishment is dispensed unto those responsible.You mention the North, what arguement against Bloody Sunday, or the Falls curfew then? Or Israelis bulldozing dead Hamas operatives homes? The collective responsibility tag is one the media ruthlessly pursue,and great evil is done under its guise. And after they lost the vote on Syria bombing in 2013, thats how its gonna come for us this time. There is a vote on Syrian bombing in a few weeks.No doubt there will be talk of a humanitarian corridor between Syria and Turkey, policed by freindlies on the ground (the YPG/YPK?), the minimal aspect stressed over and over again,then all the media conditioning upto then will leave us accepting that which was unacceptable 2 years ago : another Western intervention in the Middle East. Its amazing to watch such disparate items come to focus, and come to bear on peoples emotions.
    Zarqawis group were responsible for Foleys death,whether those individuals did is another thing altogether,but Ireland should sort out courts in the North (and South) before worrying about Jordan, focussing on the small things, and chipping away mercilessly is the only way to affect great change I think.

    ReplyDelete
  6. PS frankie, this new article by Douglas Murray asks some searching questions on the migrant 'crisis', thank God for people like this :

    http://www.standpointmag.co.uk/node/6239/full

    ReplyDelete