VT POLITICAL & LABOR LEADERS CONDEMN TURKISH ATTACKS ON KURDISH CIVILIAN TARGETS IN NORTH EAST SYRIA

No U.S. Weapons To Turkey!

February 14, 2024

Throughout the month of January, in its third wave of bombings since October of last year, Turkey (a member of NATO) has again unleashed a series of airstrikes against civilian targets in the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), known as Rojava, largely populated by Kurds. This latest round of attacks targeted and destroyed critical civilian infrastructure, including oil facilities, electrical stations, and food warehouses, which constitutes war crimes.

This latest bombardment campaign came on the heels of Turkey’s previous attacks on Christmas Day, which were preceded by a series of extensive airstrikes in early October. Further, Turkey, in 2018 and 2019 invaded and continues to occupy significant sections of northern Syria along the Turkish border. Taken together, these actions represent a dramatic escalation of Turkey’s aggression against DAANES, systematically destroying the region’s critical infrastructure, resulting in civilian deaths, a widespread climate of fear, and massive shortages of vital services, including water and electricity.

The Kurds in North East Syria and the multi-ethnic government that they have established in the region have been key allies of the U.S. in its ongoing efforts to drive ISIS out of the Region.  Further, DAANES seeks to build a secular direct democracy in Rojava (based on principles not unlike an empowered Town Meeting system of government) whereby women have equal access to social and political power, and all people enjoy economic equity and opportunity.

We, the undersigned political and labor leaders in the Green Mountains, call on our Vermont Congressional Delegation and the U.S. Congress as a whole to actively oppose any and all new weapons sales or transfers from the U.S. to Turkey so long as it continues its aggressive and expansionist policies in the region, including its consistent violations of the US-brokered ceasefire and the targeting of civilian infrastructure in North East Syria. We further call on the U.S. Congress to put significant pressure on Turkey to withdraw from all occupied regions of DAANES and to refrain from any and all military strikes on the area. As Vermonters, we actively support democracy and applaud the democratic advances made by DAANES, its ongoing combat against ISIS, and publicly declare our solidarity with this secular, multi-ethnic, women-led project.

Vermont Political Leaders  

David Zuckerman, VT Lieutenant Governor (Progressive Party)

Tanya Vyhovsky, VT State Senator (Progressive Party)

Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, VT State Representative & Chair of the Vermont House Progressive Caucus

Kate Logan, VT State Representative (Progressive Party)

Taylor Small, VT State Representative (Progressive Party)

Troy Headrick, VT State Representative (Progressive Party)

David Templeman, VT State Representative (Democratic Party)

Vermont Labor Leaders

 Katie Maurice, Vermont AFL-CIO President

David Van Deusen, Vermont AFL-CIO President Emeritus

Dan Brush, Vermont AFL-CIO President Emeritus