Reactions are growing against the Turkish state’s genocidal attacks against Afrin Canton of Northern Syria, as well as solidarity with the historic resistance in Afrin. Politicians and academics spoke to Yeni Özgür Politika newspaper about the Turkish state’s ongoing operation to invade Afrin and condemned this military and political attempt by Turkey.

Johanna Riha, Policy Director of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Health and a Postdoctoral Reseracher at the Center for Governance and Human Rights at the University of Cambridge, England made the following comment:

“The attack on Afrin is a war crime, genocidal in intent but doomed to fail. The revolutionary forces in control in Rojava, in the north of Syria, will continue effectively resisting the criminal onslaught by the fascist Turkish state, just as they did in Kobane. It is crucial that the international community speak out against these crimes against humanity. May the revolutionary project – a project of gender emancipation, direct democracy, multi-religious and multi-ethnic accommodation, and social ecology –prevail against the forces of tyranny and chaos unleashed upon the world through the criminal war on terror.”

Another message of solidarity with Afrin was given by Quim Arrufat, a former deputy of the Candidatura d'Unitat Popular (Candidature of the People's Union, CUP) in the regional parliament of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and connoisseur of the Middle East.

Quim Arrufat stated the following regarding the Turkish state’s invasion attacks;

“From Catalonia we see with horror the passivity of the international community against the military and terrorist aggressions that Afrin’s canton is suffering. After almost 6 long years of resistance to the Al- Assad regime and to the terrorist groups that devastated Syria, we do not understand how Turkey is allowed to bomb an area of peace and coexistence as Afrin. It is true that Syria has become the back yard of geostrategic operations of foreign powers, far from the interests of the Syrians. But this madness must end. The entire international community should stand before Turkey and stop the massacre that is taking place. The establishment of peace in Syria goes through an active participation of Rojava and the peoples of Syria in the search for a democratic, peaceful and confederal model for Syria as a whole, which seems to be destroyed by punishing Afrin and its civilian population. We must say enough. Tragically we know that only the people save the people.”

According to Solidarity Party of Afghanistan (SPA) executive Selay Ghaffar, defence of the just cause of Afrin is the duty of all who fight for a world free of oppression and injustice.

Selay Ghaffar stated that: “Kurdish and Afghan people are struggling for freedom, justice and independent state. We have common enemies therefore, our struggle is the same. Kurdistan people always have our support. The resistance movement in Kurdistan is a source of inspiration for Afghan people. We proclaim our unreserved support for the tireless struggles of the heroic people of Afrin. We believe that defence of the just cause of Afrin is the duty of all who fight for a world free of oppression and injustice.”

Selay Ghaffar continued; “We wish we could hold a demonstration here in Kabul in support of Afrin resistance movement and condemn the fascist regime of Erdogan and other imperialistic countries who are just watching this genocide but unfortunately due the security reason we are not allowed to do any action on the street.”