JINHA

NEWS CENTER - The ZAD, an autonomous zone near Nantes, France, has announced its autonomy in solidarity with Kurdish people under attack. A group of women and LGBTI individuals on the ZAD commented on their action, stressing their admiration of the Kurdish people and especially women struggling for freedom.

The ZAD, or "Defending Zone," emerged from the struggle against a new airport in Notre Dame des Landes, near the city of Nantes, France. In September, as Turkish state forces continued to attack Kurdish towns and districts declaring self-government, the ZAD made a declaration of autonomy in solidarity with the Kurdish people. A group of women and LGBTI-identified people on the ZAD shared their thoughts on this action and autonomy with JINHA.

'We fight against not just the airport, but the world that goes with it'

"Beyond the question of the airport, we fight against 'the world that goes with it,'" the group wrote, explaining that the occupation rejects the intervention of the state and capitalism in their lives. In 2012, ZAD residents mounted resistance in self-defense as state forces attempted to evict them. Now, police no longer attempt to enter the area. Residents organize to build housing, resolve conflicts, prevent assault, defend the site, produce food, reuse goods, and care for one another in various ways.

Women and LGBTI people on the ZAD have organized autonomously in non-mixed meetings of women, lesbians, and trans people, despite tendencies among some on the ZAD to deprioritize women's and LGBTI people's place, the group explained. In 2013, the group constructed a non-mixed cabin. Non-mixed self-defense and skill-sharing workshops allow "for self-development and the opportunity to gain self-confidence." The effort shares the focus on horizontal organizing at the ZAD.

"Self-organization is not simple, for the campaign of the ZAD brings together extremely different people and groups, each with aims and visions that represent a diverse world," the group explained. "Reflections on autonomy and self-organization are strongly present here, both politically and practically."

'We may be geographically separated, but we struggle together'

The group explained the thinking behind their declaration of autonomy in September.

"Since the renewal of the war against the Kurdish people, we have been particularly touched and in admiration of the force shown by the declarations of autonomy: the development of spaces of self-organization in the face of violence proves that there is a reinforcement of the movement for liberation," the group said. "This is why we have decided to follow the example of the districts of north Kurdistan and declare our autonomy, in solidarity and in order to signify the similarities with what we are doing here. We want this symbolic gesture to contribute to the visibility of the Kurdish struggle."

The group has founded a Kurdistan solidarity committee, which works to increase the visibility of what happens in Kurdistan; provide an alternative to mainstream media; and plans to hold meetings and demonstrations.

"If we are geographically separated, our struggles bring us together; we must be capable of fighting where we are whilst being aware of the other fights that are taking place around the world," said the group.

'No state will support a project of people's autonomy'

The group criticized the French government's selective attention to Kurdish fighters. The French government was eager to show images of women fighting for liberation, they said, "so long as it occurs elsewhere." They were unsurprised that French and other Western states had taken little actual action to support Kurdish fighters or to stop Daesh.

"The revolutionary self-management project in Kurdistan can not be supported by state governments, considering that the interests of the population go against the authoritarian organization of the state" and capitalism, said the group.

Starting in July, Turkish state forces began violently cracking down on Kurdish towns and districts that declared a state of self-governance. 24-hour curfews were declared in towns including Cizre, Silvan, and Varto, during which police shot at anyone in the streets and prevented medical services or food from reaching the population. Commenting on the assaults, the group wrote: "We are not surprised that liberation movement by a non-hierarchal organization against various forms of domination is being repressed!?

"We are impressed by the courage and the determination of the Kurdish people in the face of this violence," wrote the group.

"We are particularly touched by the women's movement that organizes in Kurdistan and are encouraged by the role that it plays in the revolutionary process," they said. "We think that the struggle of women must lead to the deconstruction of all other types of domination, in particular the domination that is linked with sexual identity. This is why we hope that the questions raised through the LGBTI movement are taken up by all liberation struggles.

"The struggle in Kurdistan serves as an example and inspires hope for lots of other movements," the ZAD residents said. "It gives us determination and confidence in a revolutionary process that reaches beyond borders."

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