The signatories of the campaign released a statement entitled “Supporting the resistance is an historical imperative” and called all to join the first Global Action Day for Afrin on 24 March 2018. 

The statement read as follows: 

“The criminal assault on Afrin constitutes a new phase in the Turkish state's war on the Kurdish people. This invasion and genocidal attack has been carried out in front of the eyes of humanity. This assault would not be possible without the complicity of the major powers. The heroic resistance of the Kurds in the struggle for Kobane triggered the breakdown of the peace process and a spill-over of the war in Syria into the Kurdish region of Turkey. The past two years have witnessed human rights atrocities in the Kurdish region of Turkey, with thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands displaced.

Now the war against the Kurds escalates further, with the criminal invasion of Syrian territory. The war crimes against the Kurdish people in Afrin are crimes against humanity; and the resistance of the Kurds is the resistance of humanity. Long live the grass root democracy of Rojava and the democratic confederal model! 

We call for the immediate implementation of a ceasefire in Afrin and in all of Syria, as requested by the UN Security Council; the immediate withdrawal of the Turkish army, whose presence in Afrin constitutes a flagrant violation of international law; and the full, inclusive participation of Syrian Kurds and their organisations in the UN-led peace process for a political solution to the Syrian conflict.

Turkey continues the Afrin bloodshed, thus contradicting the UN ceasefire resolution!

Stop the genocide and ethnic cleansing by the Turkish Army in Afrin! 

Let us take the first action and rally in defense of Afrin on 24 March 2018 all over the world!”

The signatories of the campaign are: 

Dr Thomas Jeffrey Miley, Lecturer of Political Sociology, Cambridge University, UK; European Afrin Solidarity Platform; Estella Schmid, Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (CAMPACC) UK; David Graeber, Professor of Anthropology, London School of Economics, UK; Stephen Bouquin, Professor in Sociology, Univ. Paris-Saclay; Federico Venturini, Social Ecologist, Italy; Janet Biehl, Autor and Independent Researcher, USA; Joost Jongerden, Wageningen University, Sociology and Anthropology of Development Department, Netherland;  Rojava Solidarity-Belgium; Barbara Spinelli, Laywer, Italy; Debbie Bookchin, Journalist, USA; Joe Ryan, Chair of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission, UK; Jonathan Spyer; Julie Ward, Member of the European Parliament, UK; Kariane Westrheim, Professor University of Bergen, Chair of EUTCC, Norway; Dr Les Levidow, Researcher, Writer, UK; Louise Regan, President National Education Union, NUT Section; Margaret Owen OBE, International Human Rights Lawyer, UK; UK; Simon Dubbins, Director of International-UNITE, UK; Noura Raad, European Network of Migrant Women- ENMW (UK); Thomas Schmidt, Secretary General ELDH European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World, Germany; Tony Simpson, Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, UK; Dr Vicki Sentas, Faculty of Law, University of New South Wales, Australia; Fabio Marcelli, Lawyer, Italy; Costas Mavrides, Member of the European Parliament; Ana Maria Palacios, FeministAlde, Pays Basque, France ; Olivier Stein, Progress Lawyers Network, Belgium; Marie-Christine Vergiat, Member of the European Parliamentm GUE/GNL ; Georges Henri Beauthier, Lawyer, Belgium; Erling Folkvord, Writer and Former MP, Red Party, Norway; Thorvald Steen, Author, Norway; Jan Bojer Vindheim, District Councillor, Green Party, Norway; Dr. M. Naci Akkök, Chief Architect, Liberal Party, Norway; Haci Akman, Professor University of Bergen, Norway; Efraim Bulut, PhD Cardiologist, Haraldsplass Deaconess University College, Norway; Selim Eskiizmirliler, Neuroscientist, University Paris Diderot, France; Anna Jikhareva, Journalistin WOZ - Die Wochenzeitung, Zürich; Carlo Sommaruga : Lawyer, Conseille National; Franco Cavalli doctor, former MP; Balthasar Glättli - National Rat-Swiss; Barbara Schällibaum, Vertreterin der feministischen Frauengruppe St.Gallen; Marcel Bosonnet, Lawyer-Swiss; Illias Panchard, Conseil Municipal Vert/ Lausanne