Bristol and the Rojava Revolution

In 2012, during the early days of the Syrian Civil War, three mainly Kurdish regions in north-east Syria were able to overthrow and remove the Assad regime through revolutionary action. Over the next years these regions would work with other parts of northern Syrian society and form the Movement for a Democratic Society. Its core values are for grassroots democracy, women’s liberation, and ecology. By 2014, this revolutionary movement and its armed defence forces, known as the YPG and the YPJ at the time, would become known on an international level due to their tenacious battles against the Islamic State/Daesh.

This revolutionary movement and its war against Daesh has attracted volunteers from all over the world, including England and the city of Bristol. Former volunteers from Bristol will share their experiences of the revolution in Northern Syria and discuss what has been achieved by the Revolution in Rojava, the struggles the region faces from the Turkish state, and what this struggle means for internationalism, women’s liberation, and the struggle against capitalism.