Friday 28th October, 6.30pm – tea & coffee, 7pm – start
The Quaker Meeting House, 22 School Lane, L1 3BT (next to the Bluecoat)

Abdullah Ocalan, founding member and leader of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) has been imprisoned by the Turkish state for over 17 years, in which time he has developed and refined the theories and praxis of Democratic Confederalism- the ideas that are right now inspiring the resistance in Rojava in Syria and across the border in Turkey.

The Kurds have consistently been at the forefront of the fight against Daesh (IS) whilst facing hostility, embargos and even attack from some surrounding countries. Yet in the midst of war revolution is being established. Rojava is seeing the creation of a radical, autonomous democracy with feminist and ecological values at its foundations. It is a living example of the possibility of large scale social change and its significance cannot and should not be dismissed.

We welcome you to join us for an evening of discussion of both the works of Ocalan and their influence and interpretation in relation to the revolution and on a wider scale. We have some incredible guest speakers including

Havin Guneser, who is Abdullah Ocalan’s translator and publisher and will be presenting the newest volume of his work. She will be joined by:

Rahila Gupta – Journalist and Author. Her work has appeared in The Guardian and New Humanist among other papers and magazines.

Isabel Käser – Researcher and activist from SOAS, recently returned from her fieldwork year in Kurdistan (Bakur, Başur, Rojava).

Steve Sweeney – Media Branch of UNITE who in conjunction with GMB have recently launched the Freedom for Ocalan campaign.

**Doors at half six, refreshments provided, the event will start at seven. Admission is free.**