The attacks launched on 6 January by HTS, ISIS and Turkey-backed groups in the Şêxmeqsûd (Sheikh Maqsoud) and Eşrefiye (Ashrafiah) neighbourhoods of Aleppo, which subsequently spread throughout Rojava, were stopped by the resistance of the Kurds and their allies. Although a ceasefire was secured under the agreement reached between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Damascus regime on 30 January, it remains unclear how the process will proceed due to Damascus' past violations.

 

The RiseUp4Rojava and Women Defend Rojava collectives, which organise international actions for Rojava, issued a written statement immediately after the ceasefire. The statement indicated that even if an agreement is reached, they will continue their actions to protect Rojava and the women's revolution, calling on all peoples to continue the struggle.

 

Rose, an internationalist who travelled to the region just before the attacks to witness the Rojava experience first-hand and is still there, spoke to the Mezopotamya Agency (MA) about the work of Women Defend Rojava and the internationalist struggle.

 

‘EVERBODY FELT RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS REVOLUTION’

 

Rose stated that she had read and discussed the Rojava revolution for years and she said she came to Rojava because she felt it was important to learn about and defend the women's revolution first-hand and to be part of the process. Rose stated that there are many ways to defend the women's revolution and that the Women Defend Rojava campaign is one of them. 

 

Sharing her observations after the attacks, Rose said: "They talk a lot about what it means to have a moral society, what it means for society to take care of itself, and we have really seen this in the last month. Really, people all across society have been taking up roles, actively defending—not just in a military sense, but also doing media work, looking after refugees. Everybody has felt responsible for this revolution. And yes, there has been a lot of pain in this last month, really a lot of pain. But the way people hold each other through this, the way that people politicise this pain and make it into anger towards the enemy and therefore energy to fight, is incredible. And I think that I have not seen—like a lot of internationalist friends definitely have struggled with fear and lack of hope—but actually, when I look at the friends around me, this idea that we're going to lose, it was just not there.”

 

'A MESSAGE THAT THE WOMEN'S REVOLUTION IS NOT ACCEPTED'

 

Speaking about the throwing of a female fighter's body from a building during the attacks and the cutting of another's braid as an act of humiliation, Rose commented: "I think this message from the Syrian transitional government was to say that the women's revolution is not accepted, that they don't accept the fact that women are becoming free. This also wasn't just a message from the Syrian transitional government. We know that they are backed by the US, by Turkey, they've had negotiations with Israel, their PR campaign was created by Britain, and they have funding by the EU. All of these states that try and claim that they are feminists, that they have women's rights, are attacking the women's revolution."

 

‘A REVOLUTION FOR ALL WOMEN’

 

Rose stated that she was there to learn from the Rojava revolution, which has inspired other women's movements around the world and added: "Something that we battle so much against in Europe is this lack of belief, lack of hope, and lack of imagination of what even women's liberation truly can look like. And it is so important that Rojava exists, that Rojava lives, and that Rojava is strong to keep this hope alive for all women. This is also why I care about the people here very deeply, but I was also doing this defence, this campaign work, to keep the women's revolution alive. And I think this is also why women, across the world, in many places that are very far away from here, really feel that this is also their revolution too, because it is a revolution for all women. And so feeling this connection also means that we have a duty or responsibility to protect it."

 

Emphasising that hegemonic states have always been in alliance against Rojava, Rose criticised the media’s "deafening" silence on this issue and drew attention to the importance of narrative control. Describing the information war as the "second front line," Rose noted that Women Defend Rojava's work focuses on this area. Stating that the world is going through a period of increasing fascism and state control, Rose said that in order to avoid falling into traps, it is necessary to strengthen organisation and build a more collective and communal life.

 

‘A CONFLICT OF MENTALITIES IN ROJAVA’

 

Rose emphasised that what is happening in Rojava is not a regional or ethnic conflict, stating, "This is truly a conflict of mentalities," and noting that the struggle being waged is a global stance against fascism and authoritarianism. Rose said, “What's happening here is a fight for humanity, and therefore a fight for all women everywhere. So Rojava being strong makes all of us strong; Rojava being under attack is an attack against all of us."

 

Rose said that the actions of women in Rojava cannot be seen separately from other women's movements around the world, adding: "The people that are standing up here are mothers, they're teachers, they're nurses, they're people that have ordinary lives, and their acts of bravery come because they are organised together. Bravery isn't something that's just inherent to a person; it's something that we build together. And it comes from knowing what we're struggling for, it comes from knowing our connection to the land and knowing our connection to each other, and actually genuinely feeling responsible to defend your neighbour. We can be strong like the women there.”

 

'WE MUST CONTINUE THE STRUGGLE AT A DEEPER LEVEL'

 

Recalling that Damascus has never adhered to any ceasefire in the past, Rose stated that even if the current ceasefire is implemented, it will lead to a process requiring a different and greater resistance. Rose said, “Which way the process will go is really dependent on the level of international solidarity. We also know it's always harder to maintain solidarity when there's not big emergency calls to action, but when it has to be more sustained. It's amazing we've seen these big protests happening all over Europe, all over Kurdistan, and what we need now is to continue, but with a deeper level.”

 

MA / Hîvda Çelebi