released this statement on October 16.
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Resistance: Young Socialist Alliance supports the struggle in Kobani against the Islamic State for a number of reasons.
Kobani, is part of an emerging progressive autonomous region called Rojava where people of all ethnicities and religious beliefs are equal and where women are leading the way forward.
The fight against the Islamic State in Kobani is being carried out by Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and Women's Protection Units (YPJ). One third of the YPG are women, and of course the YPJ are women's militia units. Additionally most of those fighting are between the ages of 18 to 26. This is why this fight is both a youth and a feminist issue.
The Kurdish movement is a radically democratic and feminist project which can serve as a model for all of the Middle East and nations in other parts of the world.
To allow International Solidarity with their struggle, we demand that Western Nations take the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) off the terrorist list, as this group has led a decades long fight for Kurdish rights in Turkey and are leading the fight against the Islamic State now. Taking the PKK off the terrorist list will allow the international left to send aid directly to those in Kobani.
We demand that Western Nations and NATO members put pressure on Turkey to open the boarders to allow people to leave Turkey and reinforce Kobani. Western Nations and NATO members should also conduct an inquiry into allegations of the Turkish government directly supporting the Islamic State.
Resistance: Young Socialist Alliance understands that supporting the process in Rojava against ISIS is not manifesting Islamophobia, but if anything is challenging the stereotype that the west promotes as representation of all Islam.
Resistance: Young Socialist Alliance reject the Western Narrative that the Kurds need airstrikes to support them.
Imperialism is no ally of the Kurdish people. We will continue to struggle against our own imperial governments as well as struggling to rally the international progressive community to support the Kurds.
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