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Kurdish teach-in in NYC: Livestream Tues. 11/18

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On Tuesday evening, November 18th, at the City University of New York (160 Convent Avenue in Manhattan, 5-7 pm), will be a panel titled “Kobanê & the Rojava Revolution,” featuring David Phillips, Salih Muslim, Nazan Üstündağ and Mutlu Çiviroğlu.  The event will be livestreamed at http://www.kurdslist.org/kobane_and_the_rojava_revolution_live.

The announcement for this event states in part:

The genuine social revolution in Rojava (Western Kurdistan/Northern Syria), which was launched over two years ago, has been under constant attack by the Islamic State [of Iraq and Syria] (ISIS) during the past year. Despite the heroic resistance of the YPG/YPJ (People’s/Women’s Defense Forces) in Rojava, the ISIS attacks on Kobanê and the siege of the city that began on September 15th still continue to threaten the lives of people as well as Rojava’s experiment in direct democracy.

… Against this background, those of us who support the revolutionary, democratic and progressive forces of the Rojava Revolution and the Kobanê resistance, came together and founded the NYC Rojava Initiative. Independent of any political organization and located in New York City, our priority is to increase international solidarity and take urgent action when necessary and possible. We plan to organize events, protests, and campaigns with regard to supporting Kobanê resistance and Rojava democracy, which we believe is an exemplary model for the whole world in its efforts to build co-operative and communal economies, democratic governance and the radical empowerment of women.

The moderator is David Phillips, Director, Peace-building and Rights Program, Institute for the Study of Human Rights, Columbia University.  Featured speakers are Salih Muslim, Co-chairman of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) via skype; Nazan Üstündağ, Assistant Professor, Boğaziçi University Sociology Department via skype and Mutlu Çiviroğlu, described as a Syria and Kurdish Affairs Analyst. More information is at http://www.kurdslist.org/kobane_and_the_rojava_revolution_live.

Also, Debbie Bookchin recommends a recent 15 minute report from Kobanê from MSNBC correspondent Richard Engel. Debbie reports: “He and his cameraman actually got into Kobani and did a moving portrait of the Kurdish resistance to ISIS… The first 4 minutes is an overview/introduction, but the rest is about Kobani and very fine.” Unfortunately to view it, you have to wait through a typically annoying 30 second BP ad. The report is at http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/kobani–the-little-city-that-stood-up-to-isis-358662723970.