In the last weeks, thousands of people protested against ISIS in solidarity with Kobane. Especially in Turkey the situation grew very tense and people died during the protests. Whilst everyone agrees that something has to be done about ISIS, the proposed solutions differ from humanitarian aid for Kurdish people, weapon supplies, air strikes or sending ground forces. I asked a member of the Green Youth of Turkey, Genç Yeşiller, for an E-Mail interview on this topics. I personally know the interviewed person but she/he has to stay anonymous.
In the last few days there have been protests all over Turkey in solidarity with Kobane and Genç Yeşiller is supporting the protests. Could you briefly describe the situation in Turkey?
Mostly Kurdish people were protesting while leftist groups were on the streets for the first couple of days in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmır. As of 11th of October reciprocal calls for easiness seemed to be acknowledged. 40 people have been killed. 2 police officers have been assassinated. Gangs within the state and various movements seems to be grasped the opportunity with full venom.
I have read your recent statement on Kobane. Can you please sum up Genç Yeşillers demands from the Turkish Government regarding Kobane?
Well firstly, abandoning the discourse of equilibrator remarks about YPG (the militias defending Kobane) and ISIL. This causes serious indignation among Kurds which basically ignited the protests. Emphasis about them being both terrorists while negotiating with the leadership of PKK is overly double faced.
Other demands such as corridor for humanitarian aids and so on said to be fulfilled and immigrants are welcomed by authorities. But there were suspicions about government helping radical groups to overthrow the Assad Regime in the first place and allegedly ISIS was no exemption. Seymour Hersh takes this allegations one step further, and negated severely by the government.
Another demand is putting an end to violence on the streets performed by police forces. Since the Gezi Protests there is an indisputable terror going on, and last couple of days it reached to climax while at least 40 people have been killed. This issue haven’t been managed aptly by neither party. Especially in Kurdistan region it turned into a vicious cycle of violence between Islamists and Kurdish Political Movement’s partisans. It seems street actions will be severely stigmatized as treason while government was already very good at demonizing them.
Why does the Turkish Government not just help Kobane?
Turkish Government can not just simply help Kobane, both because they are trying to make as much of this situation and also they are hesitant on the possible consequences. First of all, Turkey is hesitant on the consequences because ISIS took Turkey’s Iraq embassy personnel as hostage for several months and Turkey couldn’t help Kobane until Turkish diplomatic personnel kept hostage in Iraq by ISIS was returned. Turkey couldn’t even join the coalition until the hostages were returned. We still don’t know what made ISIS return the hostages. It has been claimed that around 200 ISIS terrorists were exchanged for the 49 Turkish hostages, but the deal might have involved some other sacrifices that we don’t know about. That deal might be stopping the government.
Also Turkish Government is claimed to let ISIS terrorists trespass Turkey to pass to Iraq and Syria. There are claims that unknown number of ISIS cell houses and camps are spread in various regions of Turkey and terrorists are among people even in big cities like Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. If that claims are true, an attack against ISIS might trigger suicide attacks that could cause huge fatalities.
Secondly, the situation in Syria is „perfect“ for Turkish Government to discuss the future of Essad and Kurdish people in Turkey. Turkish Government can wait till the coalition desperately needs Turkey’s help to fight ISIS, and use that as an opportunity to demand Essad to banish from Syria.
Also Turkish Government and PYD leader Salih Müslim already started negotiations about Kobane. PYD asked for weapons and aid for Kobane but Turkey declined. Turkey offered to open a corridor to Syria so that PYD can transfer weapons, military and aid from North Kurdistan to Syria via Turkey if PYD agrees to stop demanding Kurdish kanton in Turkey. And that is unacceptable to Kurdish people.
Finally, helping Kobane means helping YPG (Kurdish militia defending Kobane) which is helping PKK, and PKK is recognized as a terrorist group by the Turkish government. Turkish Government might be just simply waiting for ISIS terrorists and Pêşmerge to kill each other, as it is also demand by Turkish nationalists and patriots.
How do you think will the situation affect the peace process with the PKK?
Abdullah Ocalan (editor’s note: founding member of the PKK) already made a statement saying if Kobane falls, the peace process will end.
People in solidarity with Kobane, are going out in the streets to demand action from Turkish government. This rises the tensions among people in Turkey. Turkish and Kurdish people have a historic enmity, and the street actions are bringing pack the feelings that were not on surface since the peace process.
The street actions are needed to push Turkish government for any kind of action to help Kobane but it is also increasing the separation among people of Turkey and we are getting closer and closer to a civil war. 40 people died, 351 people injured and more than a thousand people are taken into custody during the street protests
The Green Youth of Austria demands weapons for Kobane. Why is Genç Yeşiller not demanding weapons?
We don’t have a consensus on the matter.
We heard that there are different views about whether military action of the Turkish Armee at the border between Syria and Turkey is wanted because some would consider that an occupation of Kurdistan. Can you tell us something about that debate?
Kurdish movement claims they will reckon this as a act of occupation and a direct intervention against Rojava Revolution. They don’t want to lose their ground. I personally do not think Nationalists in Turkey would want such an occupation, priority is the territorial integrity of Turkey. Then of course they would want to enhance their power in the region since PKK gained grounds after Sengal massacre (editors note: a massacre done by ISIS in the Yezidi town of Sinjar (Şengal)) (they evacuate the local people especially Ezidis) and acquired lots of sympathy in Iraq. Then it is a geostrategic question, and anything is possible in that region.
How do you get your information about what’s happening in Kobane?
Twitter, and alternative media tools and local newspaper. For English, The Guardian, The Nation, Democracy Now, NYT all provide updates and op-eds on the situation.
