JINHA

AMED –Every environmentalist must also be an anti-war activist, says Filiz Doğan, of the Mesopotamia Ecology Assembly. Filiz discussed the devastation wrought by Daesh's war on nature and the Kurdish people's history of resistance against hegemonic statist attempts to destroy nature.

"In every region Daesh occupies, they destroy water sources, natural areas, historic sites and museums—because they know that the easiest way to destroy a people is to destroy their lands, nature, their areas where they live," said Filiz. She said that all hegemonic forces aiming to repress a people first do so by taking control of nature.

Filiz said that over the last 30 years, Kurds have taken a leading role among the people in the world who fight against the statist mentality that aims to commodify and control natural resources. The struggle for free, democratic existence has also been one against ecological devastation by the state. However, she said, the biggest challenge for Kurdish environmentalists was increasing awareness of what people could do.

"It's capitalism; it represses people with hunger, so they're constantly rushing, just trying to get by," said Filiz. She said awareness-raising activities were crucial to the struggle.

"This isn't just about protecting a tree, keeping the environment clean or even stopping dams and hydroelectric plants," said Filiz. "It's about securing the ability of people to live in peace."

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