IndyMedia - Vrij Media Centrum Nederland

Wanneer: 19/11/2021 - 18:11

Yesterday our comrade Andi has been sentenced to 2 years in jail, yet again a manifestation of Turkish fascist state influence Jurisprudence in western Europe. At the center of this court case is a fireworks attack on the Turkish consulate in Zurich in 2017 in solidarity with Rojava. On the night of January 18, 2017, the building on Weinbergstrasse was shot at with pyrotechnic objects. A window was shattered, no one was harmed. Despite the late hour, two consulate employees are said to have been in the embassy. They felt "very much at risk", as they told the police.

At the center of this court case is a fireworks attack on the Turkish consulate in Zurich in 2017 in solidarity with Rojava. On the night of January 18, 2017, the building on Weinbergstrasse was shot at with pyrotechnic objects. A window was shattered, no one was harmed. Despite the late hour, two consulate employees are said to have been in the embassy. They felt "very much at risk", as they told the police.

Because it was officially an explosives offense, the investigation was transferred to the Federal Prosecutor's Office. But they decided several times to "suspend" the criminal proceedings - basically: to let them disappear in a drawer. The Turkish leadership filed a complaint against this in Ankara, which was upheld by the Federal Criminal Court. Turkey had complained about the inaction of the Swiss judiciary and was ruled by the court. Therefore, the federal prosecutor had to reopen the investigation.

It is not the first time that the RHI Secretariat, members or structures have gone to court. "But this process has a special character and we want the revolutionary and internationalist left to understand what is at stake," said Rote Hilfe International. It is not a matter of proceedings against RHI, but of an attack on Rojava.

“First of all, we have to remember that solidarity with Rojava is not simply a duty of internationalists and anti-fascists who support a people that is brutally oppressed. Rojava has a special place on the global front line between revolution and counterrevolution. As an authentic experiment that tries out new ways of resistance and self-organization of the people in the course of time, Rojava must be defended by all means.

In the study published by RHI on the Turkish strategy of a low intensity war to destroy Rojava and the Kurdish liberation movement, it was found that one element of this strategy was the attack on the political and organizational support of the movement.

In Europe we are witnessing the use of this specific offensive, ranging from death squads to concerted troll campaigns, to influence debates in internet chat rooms. Between these two extremes, between targeted assassinations and the most insidious manifestations of soft power, there is a wide range of actions aimed at 'putting the Turkish or Turkish communities in Europe in their place' and providing all support for the Kurdish cause paralyze.

The forces at work here are diverse and all play a specific role: diplomatic missions, mosque preachers, local AKP structures, secret service, mafia and fascist networks, business people who trade with Turkey, etc.

One of the special goals of this offensive is the complete criminalization of the Kurdish liberation movement in Europe, i.e. the suppression of solidarity by the police and the judiciary of the European countries. The trial against our comrade is a case in point, as it is only taking place as a result of diplomatic pressure from Turkey. This pressure can be explained by the role that the comrade plays in international solidarity with Rojava. It is noteworthy that the Swiss Federal Prosecutor's Office has tried several times to stop these proceedings: either because of the weakness of the case (lack of evidence) or because they have other investigations pending. The Turkish state has always resisted this and demanded and finally enforced this process. "

Process part of a complex offensive by Turkey

The Zurich police meanwhile used the opportunity to obtain a new conviction for Andrea S. In the event of lockdowns in the wake of the Covid 19 pandemic, the authority made a “leap in quality” by arresting the activist “systematically and preventively” during mobilizations. "The cantonal authorities used the 'Turkish trial' to add charges such as non-compliance with the Covid regulations," summarizes RHI.

For international solidarity, however, it is important to keep an eye on the fact that this process is part of a “general and complex Turkish offensive” against supporters of the Kurdish liberation movement and thus an element of the war strategy with low intensity, demands the Rote Hilfe International . From this point of view, it would not be necessary to distinguish between "more serious" and "less serious" cases. “The Bellinzona process, as well as the damming of water by Turkish dams on the Euphrates for the thirsty Rojava, as well as the use of poison gas by Turkish commandos in Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as the shots at HDP supporters: inside in Greece at the beginning of October , are complementary elements of a global strategy. "

The response of the European revolutionary left must also have this global, strategic character. For this reason, the Red Aid International calls for actions against Turkish fascism in response to Andrea S.'s appearance in front of the Swiss judiciary.