Internationalists from many countries around the world are fighting in defence of the Rojava revolution or helping to build it. One of them is Heval Agit (Jozef Krol), an internationalist from Poland. Agit is 33 years old and joined the ranks of YPG-International in 2018. He told the daily Özgür Politika that he was confronted with the Kurdish freedom struggle for the first time during the war for Kobanê. Then, when Afrin was attacked, he said, he decided to take part in the defence of the region." The war crimes committed by the Turkish state and the silence of the world public opinion about it are unbearable," Agit said in view of the occupation of Afrin and criticised the support of the invasion by the EU, Russia and the UN through their approval and silence.

"A revolution of the whole Middle East"

Underlining the important role of internationalism in the Rojava revolution, Agit continued: "The internationalists were intensively involved in the revolution during the Kobanê war. Many of them fell for the revolution. Internationalists learn from Kurdish fighters and vice versa. Although the participation from the West is very strong, there is also very significant participation from the Middle East and other parts of the world. We have many friends here from Iran, Iraq, Armenia, the Arab countries and Azerbaijan. There are also many revolutionary friends from Turkey. Our priority is to prevent and fight against a new genocide. This is not only the revolution of the Kurdish people, but the revolution of the whole Middle East."

"In capitalism, consumption is more valuable than life"

Agit went on to say that capitalism is the source of all global problems: "Global warming, hunger, war, ecological destruction are all directly linked to capitalism." Agit explained that capitalism considers the culture of consumption more valuable than life: "While capitalism promotes the individual who consumes and thinks only of himself, it tries to exclude those who connect with society, build a collective life, and stand up for societies, peoples and values as principles. There is an attempt to discipline them through death."

"The alternative lives in Rojava"

The internationalist stressed that an alternative to capitalism, democratic confederalism, has been built in Rojava. The revolution is based on a cooperative and communal egalitarian society, ecology, women's freedom and a cooperative economy. However, he also emphasised, "We all know that nothing can be done without changing the mentality." Therefore, he said, the Rojava revolution is also a revolution of consciousness.

"Kurdish culture was saved from destruction"

The internationalist also pointed to the importance of the revolution for the Kurdish identity, which was previously threatened with extinction, saying, "The rights of the Kurdish people were not recognised before the revolution, they were not even considered second-class citizens. At the beginning of the revolution, the Kurds were threatened with cultural and physical genocide by the occupiers and ISIS. The revolution has prevented this. Kurdish is no longer a forbidden language. New universities have been opened and Kurds study there in their mother tongue. This in itself is a great revolutionary achievement. Kurdish culture, which was threatened by cultural assimilation, has been preserved in the Middle East."

"Women are at the forefront of the revolution today"

Agit sees the achievements of the women's struggle as a crucial point of the revolution: "Women, who were kept away from many areas of life and enslaved before the revolution, are now in the forefront of the revolution. The women here have made greater steps in the revolution than our comrades in the West. This is because they have created their own self-defence. The YPJ (Women’s Defense Units) is the most important example of this. As far as freedom is concerned, the situation of women here is far ahead of that in the West. They have autonomy and the real struggle of women has been organised here."

"The Turkish state wants to destroy everything"

Another achievement is the communal economy that is being built despite all the threats of attack, Agit stressed and warned regarding the threats from the Turkish state and its collaborators: "There are threats of attack from the Turkish state and regime and these threats of invasion are supported by the KDP. Rojava would be much more advanced economically if it wasn't under constant pressure, attacks and embargoes. However, this Turkish aggression is nothing new. Within 100 years, Armenians, Kurds, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Greeks and Yazidis have been subjected to genocides. Erdoğan's main goal is to destroy the Kurdish freedom movement and Kurdish identity.”

"Erdoğan's system is at the end"

Agit continued: "One has to see the recent invasion threats by the Turkish state in the context of domestic politics in Turkey. The Turkish economy is on the verge of collapse because of Erdoğan's policies. As a result of the economic crisis, it seems difficult for Erdoğan to be re-elected. The only way to hide the problems at home is a new war. He needs a new political discourse on the basis that the cause of the economic crisis is the war with militarist discourses and occupation. So he wants to create a new political discourse based on nationalism and expansionism."

"Stand up for the revolution"

The Internationalist concluded by calling on all revolutionaries to do their duty to defend the revolution of Rojava and to stand up for the revolution all over the world.