Smashing the State in Rojava and Beyond
The Formation and Intentions of the International Revolutionary People’s Guerrilla Forces

To the comrades, revolutionaries, partisans & guerrillas who have fought, struggled & died

To those who continue to fight and sacrifice for liberation and a new world

To our comrades held in the dungeons of the state & capital

To the ones who silently suffer under tyranny

To the unknown martyrs

Who We Are...

The International Revolutionary People’s Guerrilla Forces (IRPGF) is a militant armed self-organized and horizontal collective working to defend social revolutions around the world, to directly confront capital and the state, and advance the cause of anarchism. We recognize and affirm that principled action necessitates principled politics. We are not a political party or platform but rather an armed collective comprised of comrades with different anarchist positions. The IRPGF’s collective unity manifests itself in the praxis of militant action which we consider a prerequisite for achieving liberation.

Our role is twofold; to be an armed force capable of defending liberatory social revolutions around the world while simultaneously being a force capable of insurrection and struggle against all kyriarchal forms of power wherever they exist. We do not enter conflict zones with intent to command but rather, while retaining our autonomy as a collective, to fight alongside other armed groups in solidarity with those who are oppressed, exploited and facing annihilation. The IRPGF believes collective action, solidarity and unity are necessary for struggle. International solidarity is the most powerful weapon of the oppressed.

Why We Fight...

We fight not only in defense of life but for life itself. The life we fight for is one of total liberation where we can voluntarily choose to form communities of solidarity and mutual aid with the goal of both truly flourishing as individuals and as a collective. Therefore, we fight against the isolation and prison of capitalist modernity which has alienated us not only from each other but from ourselves and nature; turning us into the monotonous, self-absorbed and depressed “zombie” consumers. Our communities are ones in which no one dominates or oppresses but a place where all work together to achieve common goals. Liberated communities are ones that are no longer under the constant threat of violence, eviction and capitalist market values and speculation, but places that belong to the community members as a whole and one that can ecologically coexist with the planet. Our communal strength provides the foundation for a free life whereby we can prevail and transcend hierarchical relationships and become authentic human beings free from the identities systemically imposed on us.

The current social revolution in Rojava (Western Kurdistan — Syria) is the epicenter of such a struggle. It is one of the greatest beacons of militant self-organized and autonomous revolutionary praxis of the 21 st Century. Within a brutal civil war in Syria that has cost upwards of half a million lives, the Kurdish peoples along with other ethnic groups including Ezidis, Arabs, Assyrians, Armenians, Turkmen and Circassians as well as foreigners from other countries outside the region, have stood up to the barbarity of both Bashar al-Assad and the theocratic totalitarianism of Daesh (ISIS) in order to create a democratic entity which transcends the archetypal nation-state.

The fight for social autonomy, gender equality, direct democracy and worker controlled industries is at the heart of the project in Rojava and the goal for an autonomous Kurdistan. We recognize the struggle against all forms of kyriarchy and we support the ongoing revolution in the region.

Who We Fight...

The nation-state, authority, capital and social hierarchy are the enemies of a liberated world and therefore enemies of us all. While we struggle through self-criticism and collective criticism of our personal and collective internalizations of these oppressive behaviors, attitudes and practices, the external enemies; the bosses, along with their armies and police, must be confronted with bullets, bombs and dynamite. The fires of justice and freedom are cleansing and all consuming. For us, there is no stepping back and no way to achieve liberation except through struggle. Our communities will only be liberated when we destroy those few whose wealth and power depend on the suffering and exploitation of many.

Meanwhile, hierarchy and domination are only becoming further entrenched with the rise of the far right in Europe and the United States. As millions of people seek to escape the horrors of the wars in the Middle East and Africa in an effort to survive and to save their families and themselves, they are met with tear gas, batons and barbed wire. The fences and walls that only a few decades ago were torn down to welcome those in the Eastern Bloc countries are now built at a rapid pace to keep out those undesirable; the outsiders, the foreigners and those who are Muslim.

The rise of the far right is, for the IRPGF, a direct function and result of the continuing disillusionment of the people in regards to their governments and the ongoing economic crisis. While people understand that something is deeply wrong with the system, the ones that are able to provide the simplistic “answers” are the ones who profit or seek to profit from the emerging conflicts and instability. They claim to provide an alternative by blaming those that are “other”; the refugees, the foreigners, the Muslims, gays/trans* peoples, Jews etc. The right wing calls for a return to traditional values; the family, gender roles, religion and patriotism. They want to convince people of a glorious golden age of democracy and national strength that is simply a myth.

Once again we witness that fascism is in fact a consequence of democracy. Fascism is not the opposite of the democratic state but merely a further entrenching of the democratic states’ authority. While many have rejoiced in the emergence of the far right and their ability to capture hearts, minds and state power; there are many who have realized the system is and always was bankrupt. This is where the fight for freedom and the abolition of hierarchy are a new path forward for humanity. The fight for the revolution in Rojava is about creating and defending one such society.

Werin Barîkadan!

As anarchists and members of the IRPGF, we acknowledge that non-violence only legitimizes the state and its authority. We do not recognize any borders, nations or states as legitimate. For antifascism to be effective, it must be violent; smashing the fascists and their organizations and burning and looting their spaces. While we recognize the humanity of our enemies, we realize that they give up their humanity when they embark on a crusade to oppress other people and seize state power. We will defend our spaces and all oppressed people’s wherever they are.

Therefore, we announce the creation of the International Revolutionary People’s Guerrilla Forces (IRPGF) to defend the revolution in Rojava and all those who find themselves under the heel of a boot. The comrades in the IRPGF are a mixture of anarchists who are committed to militant action to achieve revolutionary goals. We are committed anti-fascists, anti- capitalists, anti-imperialists and against all forms of patriarchy and kyriarchy. We declare our support and alliance with the YPJ/YPG, the PKK and the International Freedom Battalion including its member organizations. We declare our open struggle with all imperialist, fascist and counterrevolutionary forces.