October 2018 / International Bulletin / Issue 191

"Every long march starts with a single step"

This was the idea that led MLKP to immediately move its forces to Rojava right after the revolution erupted on the 19th of July, 2012. Even though that single step was quite modest in terms of the quantity of its forces at that time, it was a strong practical expression of MLKP's revolutionary claim, a claim that raise from the understanding to be a communist party of both Turkey and Kurdistan. Beginning from its foundation in 1994, MLKP has been defending and struggling for the liberation of Kurdistan which has been divided into four parts under the yoke of colonization of the Turkish, Iranian, Syrian and Iraqi states. And now with the Rojava revolution, which had broken the oppressive shackle of the Syrian regime, Kurdish people have been waging a great move in terms of their self determination. But, of course, the revolution was much more than this. By immediately involving the construction of an equal social system that embraces the rights of all peoples from different nationalities and beliefs, the Rojava revolution has been posing a great importance not only for Kurdistan but also for the working class and the oppressed of the whole region on the path of liberation from the bourgeois despotic regimes. In accordance with its regional revolution perspective, which has been emphasized on its 3rd Congress and put into practice in its 4th Congress as a revolutionary duty to grow, MLKP considered Rojava as an historical move in terms of being a revolutionary base that would grow and spread the fire of the revolution over the whole region.
However, for a communist party of Turkey and Kurdistan, the fulfillment of the meaning and the potentiality of this historical move was not a matter of a sole support from outside, but a revolutionary duty to be actually placed right inside the revolutionary process as an actual subject with its communist identity. Therefore, MLKP's long march started with that single step and throughout this last six years, its further steps have always followed towards embodying this claim; both in the military and the political-social part of the struggle to defend and progress the revolution. From Serekaniye to Kobanê, to Raqqa and Afrin, communist fighters of MLKP fought in all fronts of the war against the politic-islamic gangs like Al Nusra and ISIS as well as against the colonialist attacks of the Turkish state. Tens of martyrs have given for this honor defending the revolution. Along with its military existence, the communists have also mobilized for the revolution's social organization to strengthen the ideological consciousness of the peoples of Rojava. As the MLKP has taken part in the diversity of the revolutionary process as an actual subject in a developing path, it learned from the revolution and grew more and more from its roots; every step has brought the next opportunity and duty for taking new revolutionary steps.
Announced its foundation on the 20th of July, the Şehid Alişer Deniz Brigade is the recent concrete step of the MLKP in the context of defending and developing the revolution. The name of the brigade comes from the MLKP/FESK (the Armed Forces of the Poor and Oppressed) Rural Guerrilla Units Commander Alişer Deniz who fell martyr in Nurhak last year fighting against the fascist Turkish army. Since the first years of the Rojava revolution, comrade Martyr Alişer Deniz fought at the Serekaniye front, carried out logistic duties like transferring fighters during the Kobanê resistance period. Comrade Alişer, was a great commander who implemented the militarily and politically institutionalization of the MLKP in Rojava and who trained many fighters in the first place.
Now, his name and legacy is living in the memories of fighters in Rojava and in this new brigade. Şehit Alişer Deniz Brigade constitutes of a couple of battalions, it has over 200 fighters in total. Its military and ideological commanding is in the hands of communist commanders of MLKP. The fighters in the brigade are local people, most of which are Arabs. In the brigade, apart from the military training, they get also ideological and theoretical trainings. The range of topics covers the meaning of Rojava revolution and its history, the programme of MLKP, the party's history, its statute, its organizational system, its positioning in Rojava, its communist quality in the revolution and so on. The fighters trained in this brigade takes part with a communist mentality in the long run in the general YPG system which means at war fronts, it is positioned by the YPG commandment and is responsible to defend its area.
The Alişer Deniz Brigade is now one of the main elements of the local work of our party. Other than its importance in the raising of new fighters for the revolution, it also provides opportunity to develop relations with the families of the fighters. Through this channel, now the party even more increases its political and organizational work in the region. Thus, it doesn't only maintain military support for the defense of revolution, it, at the same time, holds a great significance in keeping the gainings of the revolution permanently, in evolving its course towards the path of socialism.
This step, again is a modest step for the communists, but it prepares them for greater clashes, fills them with spirit of greater sacrifices, gives them excitement for a socialist future. Every minor step of MLKP created qualitative leaps in its history, the party managed to turn this small accumulations into bigger ones. The Şehid Alişer Deniz Brigade now holds an integrating position regarding the collective development of the revolution as militarily and ideologically. Let us not forget, the future of the revolution depends on the organization level of the people and socialization of the revolution. Considering the recent political developments encircling the region, organizing this task is crucial and essential.