Riseup4Rojava has launched a Week of Action against AXA to defend the revolution in Kurdistan by fighting against the collaborators of Turkish fascism.

Presenting the week, Riseup4Rojava said: "2022 marks ten years of the revolutionary process in Rojava. As the people of Rojava continue to struggle for self-determination, women’s liberation and radical democracy, as they defend themselves from attacks by jihadist groups and the Turkish state, European companies are getting rich by profiting from the war. They collaborate with Turkish fascism with impunity."

Companies collaborate with the fascism of the Turkish state

Underlining that "European economies are effectively serving as a rear base for Erdogan’s regime, in particular through its financial institutions", the activists said that "in Turkey, AXA is partner with OYAK, the army pension fund created in 1961 by the military junta in power following a coup. OYAK is the symbol of the power of the army in the Turkish economy. This ability of the military sector to act as a capitalist organization through OYAK is an important aspect of the militarization of society in Turkey. It is one of the most powerful industrial groups in the country and its main source of income comes from its financial investments. OYAK is also known to have opposed AXA’s payment of compensation to descendants of Armenian genocide victims. Although the compensation was finally paid, OYAK nevertheless obtained that the causes of death were not characterized as genocide. There are other reasons to oppose AXA: notably the fact that it finances Israeli apartheid and human rights violations in Palestine."

Fighting Turkish fascism for a free life

The activists continued: "On all fronts, from Rojava to the cities and mountains of Kurdistan, the Turkish fascist state continues its attacks on the people and liberation movement at all levels. The Turkish state conducts weekly assassinations with killer drones. In the mountains controlled by the guerrillas for decades, it does not hesitate to use chemical weapons. In Rojava, the Turkish state is waging a veritable water war, depriving the population of access to water and electricity."

The revolution continues to flourish

The activists said that "despite the intensity of the attacks, a history of anti-fascist resistance is being written. Resistance by women who are building an alternative to patriarchy. In addition to their participation in the mixed structures, women organize themselves in a parallel and autonomous way and have a right of veto on all decisions that affect them. Resistance against the nation-state to develop a democratic nation where all ethnic, religious and linguistic identities have their place. A system of radical democracy whose basic structure is the commune. Resistance against ecocide through the diversification of agricultural production and its cooperative management."