A social media campaign that raged through Twitter last week called for recognition for North and East Syria. The campaign coincided with the anniversary of the proclamation of the Rojava Revolution. It was promoted by some of the most visible figures from North and East Syria and was rooted by the hashtag #Status4NorthAndEastSyria.
General Mazloum Abdi Kobane kicked off the campaign with two tweets that stated, “July 18 2012 at 8 p.m. we decided upon the Rojava Revolution. We congratulate all peoples of North and East Syria on this day. The Rojava Revolution protected our people and the world from the darkness of ISIS, but now the time has come to enthronement the revolution… Let’s launch tomorrow together at 8 p.m. the campaign to further strengthen the struggle to guarantee the future of North and East Syria. Our campaign will be led on social media and will reach every institution worldwide.”
As the campaign continued, the AANES also published a statement calling upon the UN for recognition. The statement read: “We appeal to the UN to recognize the region of northern and eastern Syria.”
News coverage of the campaign included an extensive article in the Jerusalem Post by journalist Seth Franzman. The article stated: “It is time to recognize the status of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, say a chorus of voices who have supported or observed the region’s progress for years.”
The article also stated: “Under the hashtag #Status4NorthandEastSyria many have been tweeting in the last several days about the need to recognize this area with some level of “status” as opposed to the way the international community has generally sidelined and isolated the area, leading to deprivation, lack of water rights, lack of access and lack of economic progress.”
Many experts and advocates also recorded videos, published by North Press Agency, in support of recognition for North and East Syria, including lifelong advocate Debbie Bookchin, regional expert Dr. Amy Austin Holmes, and filmmaker Reber Dosky.
The head of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, Nadine Maenza, also tweeted support for the campaign, saying, “Time to give The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria #Recognition!”