Revolutionary Union for Internationalist Solidarity

The Revolutionary Union for Internationalist Solidarity (Greek: Επαναστατικός Σύνδεσμος Διεθνιστικής Αλληλεγγύης, abbreviated as ΕΣΔΑ), also known as RUIS is an anarchist military unit, part of the International Freedom Battalion involved in the Syrian Civil War. It was founded in 2015 and is composed mostly of Greek volunteers.[5][6] In 2017, Greek authorities estimated the size of the group at five or six.[7]

Revolutionary Union for Internationalist Solidarity
Επαναστατικός Σύνδεσμος Διεθνιστικής Αλληλεγγύης
Dates of operationApril 2015 – present
Active regions Rojava
IdeologyAnarchism
Anarcho-communism
Political positionFar-left
StatusActive
Part of International Freedom Battalion, Syrian Democratic Forces
Allies MLKP
TKEP/L

TKP/ML TİKKO[1]
THKP-C/MLSPB
United Freedom Forces

  • Women's Freedom Forces
Kurdistan Workers' Party
Opponents Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

 Turkey

Battles and warsSyrian Civil War
Colours
  Black
  Red
Flag
Insignia
WebsiteTwitter

History

The group launched a statement through Indymedia announcing its founding, the statement was dated April 2015. In that statement the organization claims that they are Greek internationalist anarchists who come to Rojava in response to the call for volunteers by MLKP made in January, to form an internationalist brigade to defend the Rojava Revolution, along with the YPG and YPJ, against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.[8] They are one of the first former members of the International Freedom Battalion with MLKP, the United Freedom Forces, TIKKO and the Spanish Reconstrucción Comunista.

RUIS members at Rojava

In an interview to RUIS, obtained by the alternative portal Apatris.info in January 2016, a member of the group explains that the Revolutionary Union for Internationalist Solidarity "is an organization that fights for the world social revolution." The same interview reveals that their participants are anarcho-communists and anarchists from Greece. He suggests that in concert, the group aims at effective solidarity in the field of international armed conflicts. He also claims that they fight on the side of the oppressed classes for social liberation and "against the domination of States and Capital" denoting a radical anti-capitalist position. And he adds that "effective solidarity must have the characteristics of social struggle at all points of the conflict, breaking the limits of tyranny, oppression and exploitation."

On 3 April 2017, the group reappeared on social networks on the occasion of a campaign of solidarity with the anarchist movement of Athens, launched through Twitter by the International Revolutionary People's Guerrilla Forces (IRPGF). The fact caught the attention of different Greek media, sending their messages even to the services of security and intelligence of the State which affirmed to the press their worries regarding the return of the fighters to the country.[9][10][11][12]

In February 2018, Icelandic RUIS and MLKP fighter Haukur Hilmarsson was killed in combat while fighting against the Turkish military operation in Afrin.[4]

Ideology

The group is based on the ideals of anarcho-communism, also called libertarian communism, a philosophical and economic major trend within anarchism whose main exponents were Carlo Cafiero, Piotr Kropotkin, Errico Malatesta and Nestor Makhno among others. The group could also be classified as especifist. In spite of being an organization of especifist tendency advocates for the left unity and coexistence with different proletarian movements like Marxism-Leninism.

RUIS was the first anarchist unit to join the International Freedom Battalion, succeeded by the IRPGF, but previously to the latter, the Turkish vegan anarchist unit Sosyal Isyan (Social Rebellion) part of the United Freedom Forces.[13]

See also

References
  1. Rojava, TİKKO (13 June 2017). "Rojava'dan Kaypakkaya mesajlarıhttps://youtu.be/oguh1otMUj8". @RojavaTikko. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  2. "In #Tabqa we helped liberate a society imprisoned & controlled by fear & violence. But this tactic isn't unique to DAîŞ – it is used (1)pic.twitter.com/ufFAlT2xSG". @IRPGF. 11 June 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  3. Άννα, Νίνη (9 October 2017). "Έλληνες Αναρχικοί Στέλνουν Χαιρετίσματα από τη Ράκκα της Συρίας". Vice News (in Greek). Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  4. "EÖT savaşçısı İzlandalı Haukur Hilmarsson şehit düştü" [IFB Icelandic warrior Haukur Hilmarsson fell as martyr]. ETHA (Etkin Haber Ajansı) (in Turkish). 6 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  5. "The International Freedom Battalion of Rojava and participation from greece". athens.indymedia.org. Independent Media Center. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  6. The Carter Center (2017), p. 3.
  7. https://www.tovima.gr/2017/05/25/society/omada-ellinwn-anarxikwn-sto-syriako-koyrdistan/
  8. "Participación desde Grecia desde el Batallón Internacional por la Libertad de Rojava". 15 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  9. "Ελληνες αναρχικοί πολεμούν κατά του ISIS στη κουρδική περιοχή της Συρίας, Ροτζάβα- Τι λένε οι ίδιοι μέσα από κείμενα και συνεντεύξεις τους- Δημοσιογραφία για το δημόσιο συμφέρον". Press Publica (in Greek). 25 May 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  10. "Έλληνες αναρχικοί πολεμούν τους τζιχαντιστές στη Συρία". The TOC (in Greek). 25 May 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  11. "Έλληνες αναρχικοί πολεμούν τον ISIS στα εδάφη των Κούρδων στη Συρία (pics)". CNN (in Greek). 25 May 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  12. "Έλληνες αναρχικοί πολεμούν τζιχαντιστές στο Κουρδιστάν". HuffPost (in Greek). 25 May 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  13. "Rojava ve Kobane'deki yeniden inşaa sürecinde anarşist ve ekolojist gerillalar" (in Turkish). Sosyal Savas. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2017.

Bibliography
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