Syria, Kurdistan, Palestine: Continuities of State Violence and Popular Resistance

This gathering centers grassroots, people-powered perspectives. It offers a space to speak openly and bravely about the obstacles to collective action across Syria, Kurdistan, Palestine, and beyond.

In light of the ongoing and evolving struggles within these geohistories, we want to examine how state violence manifests on all levels of society - both visibly and invisibly, materially and ideologically - through language, assimilation, ecocide, patriarchy, borders, war, occupation and ethnic cleansing.

Our goals are to explore what connects us, what makes solidarity both urgent and difficult, and how we might build stronger collective resistance.

As people situated in the imperial center that is Germany, we also want to discuss the solidarity needed here and the resistance to the state violence that movements face.

In a time of raging fascisms, genocides, and wars, it is our duty to unite our struggles and foster solidarity that goes beyond direct links between our oppressors but further recognizes the broader patterns of domination and injustices we face.

This event will serve as a space for brave, honest learning, where we encourage critique and self-critique. We will be guided by an awareness concept to avoid reproducing violence as much as possible and center the perspectives of those most affected and with direct connections to the three geohistories.

Who this event is for: The event is open to everyone, and the language is accessible. The event would be of especial interest to people affected by the situations described, as well as people active in grassroots groups or NGOs, who wish to engage in open dialogue. 

With inputs from:

• Razan Ghazzawi (they/them), is a recovering organizer, blogger, and former prisoner. They currently teach queer and gender studies courses at Oregon State University. Their research and art interests include: Queer exile, migration, ecology, dancing and anime.
• Dilara Lorin is a communist of Kurdish background. Organized with socialist groups in Germany, she writes about in the Middle East, including the Kurdish and the Palestinian liberation struggle and the women's movement. Her focus is to push forward an internationalist perspective for all oppressed and the working class in all fields she is active in.
• Leil Zahra Mortada is a transfeminist queer anarchist from South Lebanon. Based in Berlin, they teach, research, agitate, and create multidisciplinary art. Working primarily with video and sound, their practice is rooted in years of committed engagement in collective, self-organised structures of living and working. They explore themes of decolonialism, nationalism, counter-archives, abolition, and border violence.
• and others!

Discussion will be held in English. 
Translation to German and Arabic will be arranged. If more languages are needed, please reach out and we will do our best to arrange that.