09/07/2019
The regional progressive newspaper The Bristol Cable catches up with activists from the far left and anarchist movements who have been working in the political vacuum of Northern Syria to help build a new society. In a move reminiscent of the idealistic young people who helped fight for the democratic Spanish Republic against the forces of the Falangist General Franco in the Spanish Civil War, several young people have travelled from our catchment area to the region liberated by militia from the murderous rule of the Islamic State Group, sometimes known as Daesh. In its wake, a very different society is emerging, which the Bristol Cable says is influenced by democratic control, anarchist principles of self governance and radical equality. For such a conservative region of the world, this is noted as being something of an achievement. A Bristol activist, Anna Campbell, who was active on the Bristol alternative scene in projects as diverse as vegan co-operative Cafe Kino to the Kebele Social Centre, by way of queer and feminist politics, was killed fighting with Syrian liberation forces in March 2018. She was just twenty six. The Bristol Cable meets with other activists who have risked much by helping to build a gender and sexuality free society in one of the most contested areas in the world. The young people are optimistic and celebratory about what has been achieved already and what kind of world can be built even in the face of adversity.
