Scottish Green MSP Ross Greet addresses congress of Kurdish PYD party
PEOPLE IN SCOTLAND should call for an end to the war against the people of Kurdistan, according to Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer.
Greer, part of a delegation to the conference of Kurdish PYD party, wants pressure to be placed on the Turkish government to stop its bombing campaign against Kurdish target.
The Kurds, the world’s largest stateless community, have faced decades of violent persecution in relation to their minority status across several Middle Eastern countries.
The Kurds of Syria, surrounded by the violence of Turkey, the Syrian Government, Daesh (Islamic State), and numerous militia groups have faced a battle for survival as part of the Syrian civil war.
Sarah Glynn: What Scotland can learn about democracy from Syrian Kurdistan
“The Kurds across the region bring almost all of the hope to what is a pretty desperate situation,” Greer told CommonSpace following his return from the international conference in Brussels.
“In northern Syria you have Kurds building democratic confederalism, building truly equal societies, not just for themselves, not just for Kurds, but societies that welcome in Arabs, Syrians, Turkmen. They are building genuinely multicultural, successfully integrated societies.”
The PYD conference was attended by 600 members from four parts of Kurdistan and 13 different European countries. Sarah Glynn, also part of the Scottish delegation, reported on its activity for CommonSpace.
Since the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, government forces left Kurdish areas such as Rojava, and Kurdish forces have taken control – where the PYD are trying to create a stable social order.
Beyond bombing: 5 things you need to know about the Syrian conflict
Since 2013 though Daesh has attempted to take Kurdish territory in northern Syria with Kurdish forces having some sucess in repelling them.
Greer continued: “The pressure needs to be brought now on the Turkish government not just for the war they’re fighting in northern Kurdistan (south-east Turkey) but for their invasion of Rojava, which is northern Syrian-southern Kurdistan.
“They have now decided that they cannot tolerate the idea of the Kurds building a successful society, so they have under the guise of needing to fight Daesh (Islamic State) invaded and started fighting against the Kurds.
“Turkey is a member of Nato. The UK is a member of Nato. We cannot allow them to do this. We need to put pressure on our own government to stop Turkey’s invasion of Kurdistan.”
Picture courtesy of Ross Greer
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