Earthquake and Solidarity
Search and rescue operations are in progress across southern Turkey and northern Syria as a result of 2 devastating earthquakes. Current reports estimate that over 5,000 people have been killed, and many more are injured.
Many of the hardest hit areas are parts of Kurdistan within the borders of Turkey and Syria. These areas have been historically subjected to intentional policies of underdevelopment by the Turkish and Syrian regimes, meaning that locals' right to safe housing and infrastructure have been deliberately neglected as part of an ongoing effort to eradicate the Kurds' very existence.
Few major aid organizations that serve Turkey and Syria operate in these Kurdish regions. There is little likelihood that aid from the international community provided to the Turkish government will reach the Kurdish regions of Turkey, given the active hostility by Turkish President Erdoğan to the Kurds.
Similarly, in Syria, where international aid has been processed through the Assad regime, it has rarely reached North and East Syria (Rojava). The lack of internationally sanctioned border crossings into Northern Syria also makes it more difficult to deliver aid, and most of relief assistance is currently being channeled to Turkey.
This is why we urge you to donate to the Europe-based charity Kurdish Red Crescent (Heyva Sor) as they are often the only organization providing on-the-ground service in response to the earthquake. Since Americans don't often use IBAN money transfers, the easiest way to donate is via Heyva Sor's Paypal account. Their PayPal information is: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/heyvasorakurdistane
Their website is here: https://www.heyvasor.com/en/derbare-heyvasor-de/
It must be emphasized that this is not just a natural disaster. The fact that around 6,000 buildings collapsed in Turkey is a result of the construction of cheap tall buildings in an earthquake region, which has been a crucial pillar of capitalist “development” spearheaded by the Turkish government. Having allowed this tragedy to happen, the government now stands by, leaving many thousands of people buried under rubble without any rescue assistance.
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