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Vol. 78/No. 40      November 10, 2014

 
Meetings, rallies back Kurds’
fight to defend Kobani
 
Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, Kurdish fighters in Kobani, Syria, along Turkey’s border have for more than 40 days defended their city against Islamic State forces. Their fight has inspired solidarity actions in cities around the world, several of which are described below. Another round of rallies is planned for Nov. 1.

New York
“The battle of Kobani is not just a battle of the Kurdish people, but all of humanity,” said Lazkin Ibou, who has lived in Kobani. He was one of the speakers at a solidarity event organized by the Kurdish American Association in New Yo rk Oct. 25 to raise funds for Kurdish refugees from battles against Islamic State in Shengal, Iraq, and Kobani. Some 80 people attended the gathering that featured a concert by Kurdish musicians.

— Brian Williams

Auckland, New Zealand
In Auckland, some 200 people, mainly Kurds, rallied and marched Oct. 25. “Someone is always oppressing the Kurds,” said Rez Ricardo, director of the Kurdish Youth Association and one of the organizers of the protest. “But it feels like we’re closer than we’ve ever been to an independent Kurdistan.” She, along with another young women, wore T-shirts saying “Peshmerga,” the name of the Kurdish military fighting in Iraq.

— Felicity Coggan

Montreal
“The Kurdish fighters are fighting not just for the Kurds, but for everyone who believes in a world free of oppression,” Shahin Tavakol, a member of the Committee of Young Kurds, told the Militant at a fundraising dinner in Montreal Oct. 25 attended by some 80 people. The event was organized by the Kurdish youth group and the Kurdish Foundation of Quebec.

— John Steele

 
 
 
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