Výbor na obranu revoluce v Rojavě (Rojava Revolution Defense Committee) is an organizational platform created by members of several Prague radical left-wing colectives at the end of winter 2018, during the Turkish invasion to the Kurdish canton Afrín, the weasternmost part of the Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria (NES), known also as Rojava. VORR organized protests against Turkish invasion and occupation of Afrín in Prague. In Autumn 2019 VORR resumed its work on because of the Turkish threats that under the pretext of fighting terorrism Turkey would invade the rest of Rojava (the Manbiji area and territory extending along the Turkish border east of Euphrates River to the Iraq border).
VORR was involved in mobilizing protests in the international campaign #RiseUp4Rojava. VORR organized a demonstration on „Day X“ which is the day the Turkish army and the Turkish-supported jihadists attack Rojava. This happened on October 9. That day people gathered in the streets to express solidarity (not only) to the Kurdish people of Rojava and protest against the barbaric aggression of the Turkish fascist regime. Exactly a week later, on October 16, VORR organized a second demonstration involving more than 500 people.
In addition to the humanitarian dimension of the Turkish invasion, VORR also draws attention to the fact that a unique social project based on bottom-up democracy, female emancipation, ethnic and religious tolerance is threatened along with the lives of the people of Rojava. A project that represents hope and possible model for the entire Middle East. Occupied territories under Turkish-backed jihadist militias can be expected to expel, kidnap, torture, rape, seize houses, shops, fields and other property of the Kurds and other minorities by jihad families, forced conversion to Islam, restricting women’s rights (including forced covering, forced marriages and re-expulsion of women from the public domain) as was the case in Afrín.
VORR wants to inform about events in Rojava, to coordinate and organize events supporting local inhabitants and their emancipation projects.