A delegation of French activists from the Danielle Mitterrand Foundation is visiting the regions of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) to learn more about the Rojava Revolution. During a meeting with representatives of the YPJ, the Vice President of the foundation’s Executive Committee, Jacqueline Madrelle, also spoke with the YPJ media center. She stated that the visit was not only a great honor but also a duty.

The French delegation was received by YPJ Commander Viyan Afrin, YPJ spokesperson Roxan Mohammed, and Lana Hussein and Destina Halab from the YPJ Military Council. In an open discussion, Madrelle and her team asked numerous questions about the YPJ, its structure, approach, and philosophy. The representatives of the self-defense units answered willingly and in detail.

The YPJ fighters are pioneers for women

The visit to the Women’s Defense Units was extremely important, Madrelle emphasized, as a romanticized and "guerrilla-like" image of the YPJ and YPG prevails in France and Europe. Confronting this with reality and correcting it leads to a better understanding: "I have seen their philosophy, and at the same time, their unique perspective on women, life, and nature. For me, the struggle of the Women’s Defense Units is now a struggle for life itself. It is also a struggle for ideas, solidarity, and justice. The YPJ fighters are symbols and pioneers for women around the world."

We are witnesses to the tragedy of this people

In this context, Madrelle described her visit to North and East Syria as a duty. Given the harsh war the Kurdish people are enduring, the rest of the world is "a witness to their tragedy." For this reason, the Danielle Mitterrand Foundation has been organizing numerous activities and events in support of the Rojava Revolution for years.

Internationalists, including Danielle Mitterrand herself, were involved from the very beginning and played a key role in making the struggle and achievements of the Kurdish people known worldwide. In this sense, Madrelle said: "My visit to Rojava was not only a real opportunity, but also a duty to honor the memory of Danielle Mitterrand and her work, which paved the way for us."

This is a struggle worth living for

Jacqueline Madrelle concluded by emphasizing the necessity of witnessing the situation firsthand: "What is seen here is not only a philosophy of life but also revolutionary ideas. It was a great honor for us to visit Rojava. We saw many organizations and institutions and met talented, educated, and understanding people. This is a struggle worth living for. We will encourage all politicians to visit Rojava, to experience the struggle here, and to be inspired by this revolution so that we can envision this great reimagining of the world."