To mark the tenth anniversary of the Rojava revolution, #RiseUp4Rojava is organising a hashtag campaign on the internet together with other groups. The aim is not only to celebrate the achievements of this decade, but also to raise awareness of the danger of a new invasion by Turkey, says #RiseUp4Rojava. "For this, we hope for a wide participation. Together we will make the revolution trendy and celebrate ten years of Rojava! Our goal is to overcome the media blockade against Rojava and to put the revolution and its defence back on the agenda of world public opinion."

The hashtag campaign will kick off on 18 July at 8pm Central European Time. "Together we will celebrate ten years of women's liberation, ecology and democracy. Together we will raise awareness of the threat Turkey poses to the peoples of the Middle East. Together we will Rise Up 4 Rojava!" it says. However, the initiative points out not to use the hashtag for the campaign in advance, otherwise it may not appear in the trending lists.

Hashtag: #10yearsROJAVA

Date: 18 July 2022

Time: 20:00 CEST

BACKGROUND

On 19 July 2012, the people of Kobanê took advantage of the chaos that reigned in Syria as part of the "Arab Spring" to take control of their city and declare self-rule. After the events in Kobanê, the peoples of northern and eastern Syria (Rojava) rose up and used the opportunity to drive out the Syrian army and create autonomous areas throughout the region. This uprising and expression of the people's will were made possible through the efforts of the Kurdish youth movement, which had been organising underground for years.

Since 2012, people in large parts of northern and eastern Syria have organised themselves and adopted a social contract built on the three pillars of grassroots democracy, ecology and women's liberation, based on Abdullah Öcalan's concept of Democratic Confederalism. The region has faced numerous difficulties, from attacks and occupation by ISIS to repeated Turkish invasions and a comprehensive embargo. Despite enormous economic, political and military challenges, the people managed to defend their land and learn how to overcome the state organisationally and mentally. Rojava became a model for the coexistence of different ethnicities, faiths and political views and represents a solution not only for societies in the Middle East but for peoples around the world.

On 23 May 2022, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his intention to invade areas in northern and eastern Syria again. He named MANBİJ, Kobanê and Tel Rifat in Shehba as targets. Hundreds of thousands of refugees from the former canton of Afrin, which was occupied in 2018, live in Shehba. A new war of aggression would again force hundreds of thousands to flee and trigger a humanitarian catastrophe.