Free Silhan Ozcelik! Stand with Kurdistan Fight for Freedom!
Do Everything to Help this Comrade.
12th March 2015. Kurdish Question.
This afternoon I had a call from a PA journalist informing me of the imprisonment of a young Kurdish woman and asking me if this was the first case of a person being charged for wanting to go to Syria to fight ISIS.
I was confused, “Sorry, can you repeat that again, what has happened?” He then again, told me that a young Kurdish woman has been jailed in the UK for wanting to go to Syria to fight ISIS.
Sill I was confused and it took me minutes to come to the realisation of what seems to be unfolding.
I was literally speechless and fumbled for my words and am still in shock. It is seemingly becoming more clear that the UK Govt are attempting to criminalise anyone who wants to fight ISIS while doing nothing to support the Kurds fight against ISIS in Syria.
When you look more closely at the UK government’s track record on the fight against ISIS in Syria, it is shockingly shameful.
The UK Defence Committee recently produced a report on the ‘Fight Against ISIS in Syria and Iraq’, for example with not one mention of the YPG’s heroic battle against ISIS for the last three years culminating in the first defeat inflicted upon ISIS’s seemingly unstoppable advance over the Middle East. There was no mention despite top UK barrister Margaret Owen submitting a detailed report on the YPG/YPJ heroic resistance against ISIS.
Then there was the first UK international volunteer to die in battle against ISIS, Konstandinos Erik Scurfield, the UK Govt’s postiion on the repatriation of his body has been equally shameful, in my view.
And now this: The first jailing of a young Kurdish woman who wanted to help her people being massacred and beheaded by ISIS during the appalling mauradings of ISIS into Ezidi villages and attacks on Kobane.
I’m frankly still in shock. A report of the details of her jailing yesterday are to be found below, she is due to appear in the Old Bailey, no less on the 1st April. No joke. Kurds and people with the slightest shred of humanity and disgust at the spread of ISIS and frustration at the UK Govt lack of support for the Kurds successful fight against them should call for the immediate release of this young girl whose only crime was to act on what we all feel is needed, and stated policy of the US Government led coalition against ISIS.
Please read the report below:
An 18-year-old Kurdish woman has appeared in court charged with a terror offence after she allegedly tried to fight for a group which is engaged in a battle against Islamic State (IS).
Silhan Ozcelik, of Highbury Quadrant, Holloway, north London, was arrested at Stansted Airport after she arrived on a flight from Germany on January 16.
She is accused of travelling by Eurostar from St Pancras to Brussels on October 27 and then attempting to join the guerrilla army in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party – known as the PKK – which is fighting against IS in Syria.
The PKK is proscribed by UK authorities as a terrorist group.
Ozcelik faces one charge of engaging in conduct in preparation for giving effect to an intention to commit acts of terrorism, contrary to section 5 (1) (a) of the Terrorism Act 2006.
Wearing a black and cream coat, blue shirt and black trousers, she spoke only to confirm her name, age and address during the short hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
District Judge John Zani remanded her in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on April 1.
As she was led away from the dock she smiled and appeared to mouth “It’s okay” to her brother, who followed proceedings from the public gallery.
SIGN EMERGENCY PETITION TO THE UK HOME SECRETARY THERESA MAY TO FREE SHILAN OZCELIK IMMEDIATELY!
Silhan Ozcelik: ‘Disgusting’ trial for young woman who tried to fight against Isis. (Independent).
BBC: North Londoner Silhan Ozcelik remanded over terror plan
An 18-year-old woman has appeared in court accused under terrorism law, after she allegedly tried to join Kurdish militants in the Middle East.
Silhan Ozcelik was arrested at Stansted Airport on 16 January, when she arrived on a flight from Germany and was released on police bail the next day.
Ms Ozcelik, from north London, was remanded in custody after appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
She is due to appear at the Old Bailey on 1 April.
Ms Ozcelik, of Highbury Quadrant, Holloway, has been charged with one count of engaging in conduct in preparation to commit acts of terrorism.
She is accused of travelling by Eurostar from St Pancras to Brussels on 27 October and then attempting to join the guerrilla army in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, known as the PKK.
The party, which is proscribed as a terrorist group by UK authorities, is fighting against Islamic State in Syria.
Tendance Coatesy 
“13 March 2015 STATEMENT BY UK KURDISH ORGANISATIONS ABOUT SHILAN OZCELIK’S IMPRISONMENT.
The Kurdish community and supporters of the Kurdish struggle are incensed at the arrest and imprisonment of 18 year old Shilan (Silhan) Ozcelik, who is accused of wanting to join the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ISIS).
The UK government in its steadfastness to appease the Turkish state, who are continuing to support ISIS, and withhold support from the Kurdish armed movement, the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) has made clear whose side the government are on. The recent killing of the heroic Konstandinos Erik Scurfield (Kemal) in the battle against ISIS in Rojava (Northern Syria), has garnered a very positive approach from the British media and public. The UK government has been afraid of this support for the Kurdish struggle because for a 100 years the UK state has been one of the initiators and supporters of Kurdish oppression in the Middle East. This is why they have delayed and not supported the repatriation of Konstandinos Erik Scurfield and criminalized the struggle he has sacrificed his life for.
The Kurdistan Worker’s Party, which is on the terror list in the UK, EU and USA was added to this list in 2002 during a 5 year unilateral ceasefire, at the behest of Turkey. The PKK have never posed a threat to the UK and threatened this country. This listing is evidently political and to do with the economic and political ties between the Turkish and British states. Using this listing the UK government has been criminalising the Kurds for at least 13 years, yet not one Kurdish individual has been charged and convicted of being a PKK member, despite many raids, arrests and intimidations.
The case of Shilan Ozcelik is the most recent chapter of this story and the Kurdish community are now concerned that the UK government will, in its attempt to seem impartial to ‘certain’ sections of British society, once again criminalise the community who have been the biggest supporters of the international fight against ISIS terror and fascism. Shilan has on many occasions stated that she wanted to travel to the region to assist with humanitarian work. It seems that the UK government are blocking and trying to prevent any support from going to Rojava and Sinjar, thus strengthening ISIS’ resolve and the unofficial embargo on Rojava and the resistance there.
To call for the immediate release of Shilan Ozcelik and to call for an end to the criminalisation of the Kurdish community we are organising a picket outside Holloway Prison, tonight (13.03.2015) at 6pm where Shilan Ozcelik is being held.
Undersigned:
Roj Women’s Association, Kurdish Youth Assembly, Kurdish People’s Assembly, CAMPACC, Peace in Kurdistan Campaign, Kurdistan National Congress (KNK), MAFDAD (Kurdish Lawyers Association), Kurdish Community Centre, Roj Women’s Assembly, Highbury East Councillor Aysegul Erdogan
Contact: hevallo@gmail.com”
http://kurdishquestion.com/index.php/kurdistan/statement-by-uk-kurdish-organisations-about-shilan-ozcelik-s-imprisonment.html
Andrew Coates
March 13, 2015 at 5:10 pm
I wonder what The Guardian will make of this. They’ll probably call her a mercenary.
Dave Roberts
March 13, 2015 at 5:41 pm
More probably, ” So many people are caught up in this violence, when they would choose not to if they could. Peace is heaven. War is hell.”
Deborah Orr.
Andrew Coates
March 13, 2015 at 5:46 pm
there you go again. how about supporting some stalinist groups that are fighting Israel, such as the PFLP?
btw is the AWL funded directly or indirectly by George Soros?
jackson
March 13, 2015 at 11:02 pm
Strangely I was thinking of Ms Orr. Jackson. Some of us aren’t actually into the niceties of the many groupescules that could hold their AGMs in a telephone box. Could you elaborate?
Dave Roberts
March 13, 2015 at 11:18 pm
i would be generally curious if Coatesy + others support the free speech of Deiudonne. I wonder if he’s still banned from coming to the UK. why this hypocrisy about Dieudonne? Defend Free speech! Defend Dieudonne!
jackson
March 14, 2015 at 2:11 am
Dieudonne also mocked christians. didn’t see the christians getting mad at him though!
Dieudonne is the reverse charlie.
jackson
March 14, 2015 at 2:18 am
check this out, although Brother Nathanael lacks a materialist analysis.
jackson
March 14, 2015 at 2:23 am
Jackson, why not just link to “The Protocals of the Elders of Zion” and have done with it.
John R
March 14, 2015 at 11:14 am
It’s funny how all these people who talk about ‘Islamophobia’ always end up with Jew-hatred.
Or not funny at all.
Andrew Coates
March 14, 2015 at 11:56 am
Andrew Coates
March 14, 2015 at 12:03 pm
Isn’t it interesting how paranoid reactionaries on all sides have common enemies? Glenn Beck and other American wingnuts are equally obsessive about George Soros supposedly pulling everyone’s strings.
februarycallendar
March 14, 2015 at 4:10 pm
Soros has some fairly simple ideas about freedom to dissent and for ideas to compete, which, as far as they go, I’d support.
Hint: fund Coatesy!
Andrew Coates
March 14, 2015 at 5:01 pm
i dont see why some things, such as LGBT ‘rights’ are even part of the left. the fool Peter Tatchell tried to arrest the great anti imperialist Robert Mugabe.
some things which are ‘left’ are really ‘right’. ie gay rights. most working class people and even fewer Moslems and other minority groups are pro gay. gay imperialism is something we should be deeply suspicious of. the conservatives pushed gay marriage, and the stupid left support it.
peter tatchell is nothing but a gay white imperialist.
jackson
March 14, 2015 at 5:35 pm
I am getting the impression now that Jackson is either (1) Bernard Manning, or (2) An automatic wind-up recycling machine.
Andrew Coates
March 14, 2015 at 5:38 pm
no, i’m not bernard manning. who said this: ( an urning is a pederast or homosexual):
“That is really a very odd ‘Urning’ you just sent me. Those are just unveilings being extremely against nature. The pederasts begin counting themselves and find that they are forming a power within the state. Only an organisation was missing, but according to this it seems to be already existing in the secret. And as they are counting so important men within all the old parties and even in the new ones, from Rösing to Schweitzer, their victory is inevitable. ‘Guerre aux cons, paix aux trous de cul’ it will go now. It is only a luck that we personally are too old to have to fear, this party gaining victory, to have to pay bodily tribute to the victors. But the young generation! By the way, only possible in Germany that a guy like that appears, translates the dirt into a theory and invites: introite, and so on. Unfortunately he was not yet as courageous as to confess openly being ‘That’, and still has to operate coram publico ‘from the front’ even though not ,from the front into as he once says by mistake. But first wait until the new North-German penal law has acknowledged the droits de cul then it will turn out quite differently. As for poor people from the front like us, with our childish favour for women, things will be going badly enough. If one could make use of that Schweitzer, it was to elicit from this strange man of honour the personal details of the high and the highest ranging pederasts, what surely would not be difficult for him as a congenial person….”
(Marx Engels Werke vol.32 -German edition – p. 324/5. Engels to Marx, June 22, 1869)
Marx and Engels did not promote lgbt rights, which is a non proletarian ideology that has invaded the left movement. this is a big reason why so much of the left is made up of nothng but middle class white people. the working class are not so keen on gay marriage, and when Galloway and the SWP teamed up in Respect with some Muslim organizations, they kept silent in lgbt rights? because it is not a popular demand with anyone apart from middle class liberals.
jackson
March 14, 2015 at 6:09 pm
(3) a National Anarchist
redkorat☭ (@red_korat)
March 14, 2015 at 10:26 pm
Quite possibly a good guess, redkorat!
Also, why is “jackson” using the spelling “Moslem”? That has always seemed very Mailesque to me. Mind you, perhaps that is precisely why he *is* using it …
If he means that most working-class people are *not* “pro-gay” (as I assume he does, and just got confused over his words, as such a simple man inevitably will) he is ignoring vast swathes of the actual, real working class; this is really a generational issue far beyond anything else. Or does he think Sun-reading Clarkson fans are the “real” working class? Certainly, I can bet his view of hip-hop or grime would be far beyond even that of the Mail itself.
(Was it him or one of his alter egos who accused Jonathan Freedland of being an anti-Muslim bigot in another thread on here? That was a disgusting, arguably libellous, and completely inaccurate slur.)
februarycallendar
March 14, 2015 at 11:27 pm
Uses spelling ‘moslem’ because he is from the other side of the Atlantic.
As alluded the other day, his apparent American-ness, obsessions/hatreds, and stylistic tics point to him being the entity going under the moniker ‘Aaron Aarons’.
redkorat☭ (@red_korat)
March 15, 2015 at 1:19 am
re. “jackson”‘s post which has seemingly appeared here belatedly: the quote he dredges up is 146 years old!
You don’t see Tories repeating exactly what even the most iconic figures on the Right said back then in exact, unaltered detail, do you? You used to, quite recently, but you don’t anymore. And as long as both the situations described above remains, “they” will have a crucial advantage over “us”.
Implying that social liberals are not “really” working-class puts you on a par with The Sun in the 1980s, and arguably lower than The Sun now.
februarycallendar
March 15, 2015 at 7:47 pm
The entity called Aaron made a strange reply to a comment made by myself re- the public services strike in Northern Ireland over on Shiraz Socialist 14 March 15, 8.24pm. He or she has probably been around a while in various disguises.
Glesga Keeping Scotland Free From Loonies
March 15, 2015 at 10:15 pm