2 Half Marathons and a Marathon

Running for Anna

RunningforAnna: '2 Half Marathons and a Marathon'

We (Lorna and Charlotte) have decided to raise money for the Kurdish Red Crescent (Heyva Sor) by running around a lot.

We will both run the Bristol Half Marathon on Sunday 23rd September, and Charlotte will do the Bath Half on August 19th as well. Lorna will then do the Chester Marathon on 2nd December.

We're doing this to support the only medical aid organisation working in Northern Syria, and to remember our friend Anna Campbell who was killed this year defending the freedom of the community living there.

More information:

The Syrian war has so far claimed the lives of an estimated 500,000 people. The state is being fought over by repressive regimes.

In contrast, the northern Syrian region known as Rojava is Kurdish-controlled and the society there has been working to establish a radical, feminist political system of participatory democracy, in a state that has been victim of the deadliest and most intractable conflict in recent times.

The war has been so chaotic that even four months on, it has been hard to get information about the courageous female comrades - Serhildan and Sara Merdîn - with whom Anna was killed, or the exact location of where the attack took place. Anna's family are still waiting to have her body located and brought home. For more information see their campaign here kurdistansolidaritycampaign.org/repatriation_of_anna_campbell

Read more about the Rojavan revolution here: ypg-international.org/rojava/

Anna (AKA Daisy, Helin Qerecox)

Anna was a friend of ours for many years. She was an inspirational feminist, anarchist and defender of freedom and human rights at all costs. She paid with her life after joining the YPJ as an international, determined to support the revolution and help protect the human rights and women's rights of Kurdish people - and all people - in the face of ISIS and state aggression.

Anna was killed in a Turkish missile strike on the (previously) Kurdish-controlled city of Afrin in northern Syria/Rojava, while protecting fleeing civilians as it was attacked in an act of aggression by ISIS-linked forces for the Turkish state in March.

Rest in power, Anna. This one's for you.

Links:

heyvasor.com/en/projeyen-me/

kurdistansolidaritycampaign.org/

kurdishsolidaritynetwork.wordpress.com/

anfenglish.com/rojava/heyva-sor-calls-for-medical-aid-for-people-of-afrin-26179