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People's Protection Units (YPG)
Wikipedia says:
Mainly-Kurdish militia in Syria
"YPG" redirects here. For other uses, see YPG (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Women's Protection Units.
People's Protection Units
Yekîneyên Parastina Gel (YPG)
وحدات حماية الشعب
Flag of the YPG
Kurdish Supreme Committee (2011–2013)[1]
Rojava (2013–present)[2]
Democratic Union Party (2011–present)
Light infantry militia with several motorised battalions
20,000–30,000 (Including YPJ, 2017 estimate)[3]
Motto(s)
YPG dimeşe, erd û ezman diheje (YPG is marching, and the earth and sky [or heavens] tremble)
2012 Rojava campaign
Battle of Aleppo
Northern Aleppo offensive (2016)
Al-Hasakah Governorate campaign (2012–13)
Battle of Ras al-Ayn
Battle of al-Yaarubiyah
Battle of Tell Abyad (2013)
Siege of Kobanî
Al-Hasakah offensive
Battle of Sarrin
Tell Abyad offensive
Battle of Al-Hasakah
Al-Hawl offensive
Tishrin Dam offensive
Al-Shaddadi offensive
Northern Raqqa offensive
Manbij offensive
Battle of al-Hasakah (2016)
Western al-Bab offensive (October–November 2016)
Raqqa campaign (2016–2017)
Turkish military operation in Afrin
Eastern Syria Insurgency
Iraqi Civil War
2014 Sinjar offensive
General Commander
Sîpan Hemo
Nuri Mahmoud
Ciwan Îbrahîm
Jan–Apr 2011
May–Aug 2011
Sep–Dec 2011
May–Dec 2013
Jan–July 2014
Aug–Dec 2014
Jan–April 2018
Civil uprising in Syria (March–August 2011)
Baniyas
Homs (May–August 2011)
Talkalakh
Rastan and Talbiseh
1st Jisr ash-Shugur
1st Jabal al-Zawiya
Start of insurgency (Sept. 2011 – April 2012)
Homs (2011–14)
Homs offensive
1st Idlib Gov.
Syrian–Turkish border
Jabal al-Zawiya
1st Idlib City
Saraqeb
1st Rastan
Hama Gov.
Shayrat & Tiyas ambush
Daraa Gov.
1st Rif Dimashq
1st Zabadani
Deir ez-Zor (2011–2014)
Hatla
Aleppo Gov.
2nd Rastan
1st al-Qusayr
2nd Idlib Gov.
Taftanaz
UN ceasefire; escalation (May 2012 – Dec. 2013)
3rd Rastan
Northern Homs
Al-Haffah
Al-Qubeir
Al-Tremseh
3rd Idlib Gov.
1st Damascus
Anadan
Menagh Air Base
1st Aleppo offensive
2nd Aleppo offensive
Syrian Kurdistan
Hasaka campaign
Ras al-Ayn
al-Yaarubiyah
Tell Abyad
Kurdish–Islamist conflict
Nubl & Al-Zahraa
2nd Rif Dimashq (1st Darayya)
Abu al-Duhur Airbase
Quneitra Gov.
3rd Rif Dimashq
1st Yarmouk camp
2nd Darayya
Darayya & Muadamiyat
Aqrab
1st Hama offensive
Halfaya
1st Safira
Shadadeh
2nd Damascus
1st Raqqa campaign (1st Raqqa)
1st Daraa offensive
4th Rif Dimashq
Jdaidet al-Fadl
Ghouta
Al-Qusayr offensive
2nd al-Qusayr
2nd Hama offensive
Bayda and Baniyas
1st Latakia offensive
Ma'loula
1st Qalamoun
Rise of the Islamists (January – Sept. 2014)
Inter-rebel conflict
Northern Aleppo
Markada
1st Deir ez-Zor offensive
al-Otaiba ambush
Hosn
Morek
2nd Daraa offensive
2nd Latakia offensive
4th Idlib Gov.
Al-Malihah
2nd Wadi Deif
2nd Qalamoun
Arsal
1st Shaer gas field
1st Eastern Syria
Tabqa Air base
3rd Hama offensive
1st Quneitra
Kobanî
U.S.-led intervention (Sept. 2014 – Sept. 2015)
U.S.-led intervention
3rd Daraa offensive
2nd Safira
2014 Idlib city raid
Nusra–FSA conflict
2nd Shaer gas field
1st Al-Shaykh Maskin
2nd Deir ez-Zor offensive
3rd Aleppo offensive
An-26 crash
4th Daraa offensive
Southern Syria
Eastern al-Hasakah offensive
1st Sarrin
Hama/Homs offensive
Bosra
5th Idlib Gov
2nd Idlib city
Al-Fu'ah-Kafriya
Nasib
2nd Yarmouk camp
1st Northwestern Syria
3rd Qalamoun
1st Palmyra
Western al-Hasakah offensive
1st Al-Hasakah city
Daraa/As-Suwayda
2nd Quneitra
2nd Sarrin
5th Daraa
2nd Al-Hasakah city
2nd Kobanî
4th Aleppo offensive
2nd Zabadani
2nd Palmyra
Al-Ghab
1st Al-Qaryatayn
Douma market
Kuweires offensive
Russian intervention (Sept. 2015 – March 2016)
Russian intervention
3rd Quneitra
2nd Northwestern Syria
3rd Latakia offensive
Su-24 shootdown
Al-Hawl
4th Hama offensive
Tell Tamer
Tishrin Dam
2nd Al-Shaykh Maskin
al-Qamishli bombings
Orontes River
3rd Deir ez-Zor offensive
1st Sayyidah Zaynab
1st Ithriyah-Raqqa
Al-Shaddadi
Homs bombings
2nd Sayyidah Zaynab
Khanasir
2nd Tel Abyad
Al-Tanf
2nd Al-Qaryatayn
3rd Palmyra
2nd Maarat al-Nu'man
Aleppo escalation and Euphrates Shield (March–December 2016)
9th–11th Aleppo offensives
Al-Dumayr
1st East Ghouta inter-rebel conflict
1st Qamishli clashes
Aleppo bombings
3rd Shaer gas field
Northern Raqqa
Jableh & Tartus
Tokhar
2nd Ithriyah-Raqqa
12th–14th Aleppo offensives
4th Latakia offensive
1st Abu Kamal
3rd Qamishli
Atmeh
al-Rai
3rd Al-Hasakah City
Operation Euphrates Shield
Northern al-Bab
Dabiq
al-Bab
1st Western al-Bab
1st Eastern Qalamoun
September bombings
4th Quneitra
Deir ez-Zor airstrike
Aleppo aid convoy attack
15th Aleppo offensive
Khan al-Shih
1st Idlib inter-rebel conflict
2nd Western al-Bab
2nd Raqqa campaign
4th Palmyra
Southern and Central Desert,
ISIL collapse in Syria (Dec. 2016 – Nov. 2017)
Wadi Barada
1st Syrian Desert
Azaz bombings
4th Deir ez-Zor offensive
2nd Idlib inter-rebel conflict
Qaboun
Eastern Homs offensive
al-Jina mosque
Tabqa
Khan Shaykhun
US Shayrat strike
Aleppo bus bombing
April 2017 Turkish airstrikes
2nd East Ghouta inter-rebel conflict
2nd Syrian Desert
Maskanah
East Hama
2nd Raqqa
Southern Raqqa
Iranian Deir ez-Zor strike
Ja'din
Jobar
Central Syria
3rd Idlib inter-rebel conflict
4th Qalamoun
2nd Eastern Syria
Deir ez-Zor city
Euphrates Crossing
Mayadin
2nd Abu Kamal
Turkish operation in Idlib
Rebels in retreat and Operation Olive Branch
(Nov. 2017 – Sep. 2018)
3rd Northwestern Syria
Atarib
Harasta
Beit Jinn
3rd Syrian Desert
1st Southern Damascus
SDF insurgency
Khasham
Feb. 2018 Israel–Syria incident
10th Rif Dimashq (Douma)
4th Idlib inter-rebel conflict
2nd Southern Damascus
US-led missile strikes
2nd Eastern Qalamoun
3rd Southern Damascus
Deir ez-Zor SAA-SDF clashes
1st As-Suwayda
2nd Southern Syria
2nd As-Suwayda
3rd As-Suwayda
2nd Qamishli clashes
Idlib demilitarization and frozen conflict
(Sep. 2018–present)
Idlib demilitarization
Sep. 2018 missile strikes
Iranian Eastern Euphrates strike
Northern border clashes
Manbij bombing
Baghuz Fawqani
Dêrik prison
Tell Rifaat
4th Northwestern Syria
Syrian War spillover and international incidents
Lebanon spillover
Lebanese–Syrian border
Iranian embassy bombing
North Lebanon clashes
Syrian–Turkish border incidents
Turkish F4 shootdown
Reyhanlı bombings
Kurdish riots
Russo-Turkish confrontation
Russian Su-24 shootdown
Andrei Karlov
Jordanian–Syrian border incidents
Israeli–Syrian ceasefire line
February 2018 incident
May 2018 incident
Iraqi–Syrian border incidents
Akashat
al-Shabah
Western Nineveh
Western Iraq
Spillover in Europe
Spillover in Iran
2017 Tehran attacks
2017 Deir ez-Zor missile strike
Foreign involvement in the Syrian Civil War
Since 2011 protests
Qatari involvement
Al-Nusra Front (2012–2017)
Foreign rebel fighters
Turkish involvement
Turkey–ISIL conflict
Tomb of Suleyman Shah relocation
2017 airstrikes
Idlib Governorate operation
Afrin operation
Russian involvement
2015 military intervention
Iranian involvement
(2017 missile strike)
2012 Hezbollah involvement
2018 Iran–Israel conflict
Saudi involvement
Islamic Front / SIF
Jaysh al-Islam
Army of Conquest (formed 2015
Since 2014 ISIL invasion of Iraq
Timeline of raids
2014 rescue operation
May 2015 raid
2017 missile strikes
2018 bombing
Jordanian intervention
Operation Martyr Muath
European NATO involvement
Dutch involvement
German intervention
Australian intervention
UK intervention
Rojava conflict
(Syrian Civil War)
1st Tell Abyad
Kurdish-Islamist conflict
1st Kobanî
American-led intervention
Eastern al-Hasakah
Western al-Hasakah
1st al-Hasakah
2nd Tell Abyad
2nd al-Hasakah
2nd Kobani
First al-Qamishli
7th Aleppo
3rd Tell Abyad
2nd al-Qamishli
3rd al-Qamishli
3rd al-Hasakah
Raqqa City
Turkish airstrikes
Eastern Insurgency
Northern Aleppo insurgency
2nd Manbij
Military situation in the Syrian Civil War
The People's Protection Units or People's Defense Units (Kurdish: ;یەکینەکانی پاراستنی گەل ;Yekîneyên Parastina Gel pronounced [jɛkiːnɛjeːn pɑːɾɑːstɯnɑː ɡɛl], Arabic: وحدات حماية الشعب, Classical Syriac: ܚܕܝ̈ܘܬܐ ܕܣܘܬܪܐ ܕܥܡܐ, romanized: Ḥdoywotho d'Sutoro d'Amo; YPG) is a mainly-Kurdish militia in Syria and the primary component of the Syrian Democratic Forces.[4][5] The YPG is mostly ethnically Kurdish, and also includes Arabs, foreign volunteers, and is closely allied to the Syriac Military Council, a militia of Assyrians.
The YPG was formed in 2004 as the armed wing of the Kurdish leftist Democratic Union Party. It expanded rapidly in the Syrian Civil War and came to predominate over other armed Kurdish groups. A sister group, the Women's Protection Units (YPJ), fights alongside them. The YPG is active in northern and eastern Syria.
In early 2015, the group won a major victory over ISIL at the Siege of Kobanî, where the YPG began to receive air and ground support from the United States and other coalition nations. Since then, the YPG has primarily fought against ISIL, as well as on occasion fighting other Syrian rebel groups.[6]
In late 2015, the YPG founded the Syrian Democratic Forces upon the US's urging, as an umbrella group to better incorporate Arabs and minorities into the war effort. In 2016–2017, the SDF's Raqqa campaign captured the city of Raqqa, the Islamic State's de facto capital.
Several western sources have described the YPG as the "most effective" force in fighting ISIL in Syria.[7][8] A light infantry force, the YPG has limited military equipment and few armoured vehicles.
The YPG has been criticized by Turkey for its alleged support for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), especially since a rebellion in southern Turkey began in 2015.[9] According to U.S. Special Forces Commander General Raymond A. Thomas at the Aspen Security Forum in July 2017, the SDF is a PR-friendly name for the YPG, which Thomas personally suggested because the YPG is considered an arm of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. government.[10][11] American Defense Secretary Ashton Carter confirmed "substantial ties" between the PYD/YPG and the PKK.[12] Testifying to the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee Congress, Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats, the top U.S. intelligence official, explicitly defined the YPG as the "PKK's militia force in Syria".[13][14] Turkey has designated the YPG as a terrorist organization,[9] and in 2018 Turkey captured most of Afrin Canton from the YPG.
1.1 2004: Early origins
1.2 2011: Establishment
1.3 July 2012: Control of Kurdish areas
1.4 Late 2012: Islamist attacks make YPG dominant
1.5 2013: Kurdish control of al-Yaarubiyah/Til Koçer
1.6 2014: Fight against ISIL
1.7 Spring 2015: offensive operations with coalition support
1.8 Autumn 2015: foundation of the SDF
1.10 2018: Turkish military intervention
2 Women's Protection Units
3 Organization
3.1 Flags
3.3 Tactics
4 International outreach
4.1 Foreign volunteers
4.1.1 Deaths
4.1.2 Politics
4.2 Foreign government support
4.3 Diplomatic relations
4.4 International media outreach
5 Allegations concerning violations of international law
5.1 Ethnic cleansing
5.2 Forced displacement
5.3 Recruitment of minors
2004: Early origins
Kurdish youth attempted to unify themselves following the 2004 Qamishli riots. The riots began as clashes between rivaling football fans before taking a political turn, with Arab fans raising pictures of Saddam Hussein while the Kurdish fans supposedly proclaimed "We will sacrifice our lives for Bush". This resulted in clashes between the two groups who attacked each other with sticks, stones and knives. Government security forces entered the city to quell the riot, firing at the crowds. The riots resulted in around 36 dead, most of them Kurds.
They did not, however, emerge as a significant force until the Syrian Civil War erupted in 2011.[15][16]
2011: Establishment
Existing underground Kurdish political parties, namely the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the Kurdish National Council (KNC), joined to form the Kurdish Supreme Committee (KSC) and established the People's Protection Units (YPG) militia to defend Kurdish-inhabited areas in northern Syria.[17][1]
July 2012: Control of Kurdish areas
In July 2012, the YPG had a standoff with Syrian government forces in the Kurdish city of Kobanî and the surrounding areas. After negotiations, government forces withdrew and the YPG took control of Kobanî, Amuda, and Afrin.[1][18]
By December 2012, it had expanded to 8 brigades, which were formed in Qamishlo, Kobanî, and Ras al-Ayn (Serê Kaniyê) and in the districts of Afrin, al-Malikiyah, and al-Bab.[19]
Late 2012: Islamist attacks make YPG dominant
The YPG did not initially take an offensive posture in the Syrian Civil War. Aiming mostly to defend Kurdish-majority areas, it avoided engaging Syrian government forces, which still controlled several enclaves in Kurdish territory. The YPG changed this policy when Ras al-Ayn was taken by the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front. At first the YPG conquered the surrounding government-controlled areas: al-Darbasiyah (Kurdish: Dirbêsî), Tel Tamer and al-Malikiyah (Kurdish: Dêrika Hemko) in order to prevent the FSA from gaining more power in the area.[citation needed] The subsequent Battle of Ras al-Ayn started in earnest when on 19 November 2012, the al-Nusra Front and a second al-Qaeda affiliate, Ghuraba al-Sham, attacked Kurdish positions in the town. The battle ended with a YPG victory in July 2013.[20]
While many rebel groups clashed with the YPG, jihadist and Salafist groups did so the most often.[21] The YPG proved to be the only Kurdish militia able to effectively resist the fundamentalists.[22] While the YPG protected the Kurdish communities it was able to extract a price: it prevented the emergence of new, rival militias and forced existing ones to cooperate with or join the YPG forces on its terms.[23] This was how the Islamist attacks enabled the YPG to unite the Syrian Kurds under its banner[24] and caused[25] it to become the de facto army of the Syrian Kurds.[26][27][28][29]
2013: Kurdish control of al-Yaarubiyah/Til Koçer
Main article: Battle of al-Yaarubiyah
In October 2013, YPG fighters took control of al-Yaarubiyah (Til Koçer) following intense clashes with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The clashes lasted about three days, with the Til Koçer border gate to Iraq being taken in a major offensive launched on the night of 24 October.[30] PYD leader Saleh Muslim told Stêrk TV that this success created an alternative against efforts to hold the territory under embargo,[30] referring to the fact that the other border crossings with Iraq led to areas controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government, while al-Yaarubiyah led to areas controlled by the Iraqi central government.
2014: Fight against ISIL
YPG-controlled territory, February 2014
In 2014, the Syriac Military Council, a group of Assyrian units, was formally integrated into the YPG's command structure.
The inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War led to open war between the Free Syrian Army and ISIL in January 2014. The YPG collaborated with FSA groups to fight ISIL in Raqqa province;[31] the group also formed an operations room with multiple FSA factions, called Euphrates Volcano.[32] However, the general outcome of this campaign was a massive advance by ISIL, which effectively separated the eastern part of Rojava from the main force of FSA rebels. ISIL followed up on its success by attacking the YPG and the FSA in Kobanî Canton in March and fighting its way to the gates of the city of Kobanî in September. The actual Siege of Kobanî approximately coincided with an escalation in the American-led intervention in Syria. This intervention had started with aiding the FSA against the government, but when the FSA was getting defeated by ISIL in eastern Syria, it escalated to bombing ISIL on Syrian territory.
With the world fearing another massacre in Kobanî, American support increased substantially. The US gave intense close air support to the YPG, and in doing so, started military cooperation with one of the factions. While it expected that ISIL would quickly crush the YPG and the FSA, this alliance was not considered a problem for the US.[33] The YPG won the battle in early 2015.
Meanwhile, the situation had been stable in Afrin and Aleppo. The fight between the FSA and ISIL had led to a normalization in the relations between FSA and YPG since the end of 2013. In February 2015, the YPG signed a judicial agreement with the Levant Front in Aleppo.[34]
Spring 2015: offensive operations with coalition support
YPG-controlled territory, June 2015
In the spring 2015, ISIL was close to capturing the Iraqi city of Ramadi.[relevant? – discuss] The YPG was able and willing to offensively engage and put pressure on ISIL and had built up a track record as a reliable military partner of the US. With American close air support, offensives near Hasakah and from Hasakah westward culminated in the conquest of Tell Abyad, linking up Kobanî with Hasakah in July 2015.
With these offensives, the YPG had begun to make advances into areas that did not always have a Kurdish majority. When the YPG and the FSA entered the border town of Tell Abyad in June 2015, parts of the population fled the intense fighting and the airstrikes.[35]
Autumn 2015: foundation of the SDF
The Syrian Democratic Forces was established in Hasakah on 11 October 2015. It has its origins in the YPG-FSA collaboration against ISIL, which had previously led to the establishment of the Euphrates Volcano joint operations room in 2014. Many of the partners are the same, and even the logo / flag with the Blue Euphrates symbol has common traits with that of Euphrates Volcano. The primary difference is that Euphrates Volcano was limited to coordinating the activities of independent Kurdish and Arab groups, while the SDF is a single organisation made up of Kurds, Arabs, and Assyrians.
The first success of the SDF was the capture of the strategic ethnically Arab town of al-Hawl from ISIL during the al-Hawl offensive in November 2015. This was followed in December by the Tishrin Dam offensive. The dam was captured on 26 December. Participating forces included the YPG, the FSA group Army of Revolutionaries, the tribal group al-Sanadid Forces and the Assyrian Syriac Military Council. The coalition had some heavy weapons and was supported by intense US led airstrikes.[36] The capture of the hydroelectric dam also had positive effects on the economy of Rojava.[37]
SDF-controlled territory (green), claimed territory (orange), Turkish-occupied Afrin (red) in October 2018
In February, the YPG-majority SDF launched the al-Shaddadi offensive, followed by the Manbij offensive in May, and the Raqqa and Aleppo offensives in November. These operations extended SDF-controlled territory, usually at ISIL's expense.
On 7 April 2016, the Kurdish neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsood in Aleppo was shelled with mortars that may have contained chemical agents (160 killed or wounded).[38][39] Spokesperson for the YPG said that Saudi Arabia-backed Jaysh al-Islam (Army of Islam) rebel group has attacked the Kurdish neighborhood of Aleppo with "forbidden weapons" many times since the war's start.[40]
2018: Turkish military intervention
See also: Turkish military intervention in Syria (January 2018–present)
Women's Protection Units
Main article: Women's Protection Units
Women's Protection Units in November 2014
The Women's Protection Units (YPJ), also known as the Women's Defense Units, is the YPG's female brigade, which was set up in 2012. Kurdish media have said that YPJ troops became vital during the Siege of Kobanî.[41][42] Consisting of approximately 20,000 fighters, they make up around 40% of the YPG.[43]
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Flags of the People's Protection Units
Vertical red flag of the YPG, used since 2011 until early 2013
Horizontal red flag of the YPG, used since 2011 until early 2013
Variant of the horizontal red flag, also used until early 2013
Yellow flag of the YPG, first used since late 2012, widely adopted in 2013 and since then the official flag of the militia
In 2017, the YPG began to form units called regiments in translation, though they are smaller than comparable units in standard militaries:
Afrin 1 Martyr Xebat Dêrik 27 Feb 2017 236 in 4 battalions
Afrin 2 Martyr Afrin 20 April 2017 235
Afrin 3 Martyr Rojhilet Early June? 2017 236
Afrin 4 Martyr Mazloum 2 July 2017 234
Afrin 5 Martyr Alişêr 27 August 2017 303
Afrin 7 Martyr Jayan 23 Oct 2017 250
Afrin 8 Martyr Bahoz Afrin 18 Nov 2017 234
Kobane 1 ? 13 Feb 2017 80
Kobane 2 Martyr Şevger Kobanî Regiment 18 Feb 2017 90
Jazira - al-Hasakah 1 Jian Judy and Dogan Fadel 20 July 2017 500
Jazira - Girkê Legê 3 Qereçox Martyrs 12 July 2017 200
Aleppo 1 Martyr Shahid Baqour 30 Sep 2017 55 (Martyr Abu Shayar battalion)
Tabqa (SDF) 1 Martyr Haboun Arab 14 Nov 2017 250
According to a report in IHS Jane's regarding the YPG,
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Relying on speed, stealth, and surprise, it is the archetypal guerrilla army, able to deploy quickly to front lines and concentrate its forces before quickly redirecting the axis of its attack to outflank and ambush its enemy. The key to its success is autonomy. Although operating under an overarching tactical rubric, YPG brigades are inculcated with a high degree of freedom and can adapt to the changing battlefield.[44]
The YPG relies heavily on snipers and backs them by suppressing enemy fire using mobile heavy machine guns. It also uses roadside bombs to prevent outflanking maneuvers, particularly at night. Its lines have generally held when attacked by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) forces who have better equipment, including helmets and body armor.[45]
The YPG and HPG have also trained and equipped more than 1,000 Yazidis, who operate in the Mount Sinjar area as local defense units under their supervision.[45]
The YPG considers itself a people's army, and therefore appoints officers by internal elections.[46]
A 20 year old female YPG fighter named Zlukh Hamo (Nom de guerre: Avesta Khabur) was reported to have carried out a suicide attack towards Turkish troops and a tank during the early phase of the Afrin Offensive, killing herself and several soldiers in the process.[47][48] The attack was commended by pro-SDF sources as a courageous attack against a tank using explosives, which killed her in the process.[49]
See also: List of military equipment used by Syrian Democratic Forces
Compared to other factions engaged in the Syrian Civil war, the YPG has not received significant foreign assistance in the form of weapons and military equipment. According to the YPG, circumstances led to their capture of less equipment from the Syrian Army than other opposition groups did. The figures below are estimates only based on the balance sheet that the YPG regularly publishes of its activities.[50]
Foreign volunteers
Further information: YPG International and International Freedom Battalion
German, French, and Spanish fighters of the YPG in northern Syria.
Ex–U.S. Army soldier Jordan Matson was among the first foreign volunteers of the YPG. Injured by an ISIL suicide bomb, he developed the "Lions of Rojava" recruitment campaign for foreign volunteers,[51] launched on 21 October 2014 on Facebook.[52][53] More than 400 volunteers from Europe, the Americas and Australia have joined the YPG as of 11 June 2015[update],[54] including at least ten U.S. volunteers, three of which were U.S. Army veterans.[55][56][57][58] People from both China and the Chinese diaspora have also joined.[59]
Other prominent foreign volunteers have included Brace Belden, Macer Gifford,[60] Ryan Lock,[61] Michael Israel,[62] Dean Evans[63] and Jac Holmes.[64]
Dozens of non-Kurdish Turks (from both Turkey and the European diaspora) have also joined.[55] The Turkish Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP) has been sending volunteers to fight in the YPG since 2012. At least four have been killed in battle as of February 2015—one during the Battle of Ras al-Ayn and three during the Siege of Kobanî. The party released a video in late January 2015 showing several Spanish- and German-speaking volunteers from Europe among its ranks in Jazira Canton; they were reorganised into the International Freedom Battalion on 10 June 2015.[65]
On 26 February 2015, the death of the first foreign volunteer to be killed in action with the YPG was announced.[66] Ashley Johnston, 28, of Canberra, with Kurdish nom-de-guerre Heval Bagok, had travelled to Syrian Kurdistan in October 2014, volunteered as a humanitarian aid worker, and later decided to serve as a front-line fighter with the YPG.[67][68][69] The official command of YPG paid tribute after his death in action against ISIL.[70] Konstandinos Erik Scurfield, 25, a British former Royal Marine from Barnsley, was killed on 2 March 2015 near the north-east Syrian town of Tel Hamis.[71] The American Keith Broomfield, 36, was killed fighting against ISIS in Syria in August 2015. [72] One known Canadian was killed on 4 November 2015, who previously served with the Canadian Forces.[73][74] Six Western volunteers were killed in the battle for the town of Manbij from June to August 2016. A Portuguese fighter, Mário Nunes, was killed in June, Levi Jonathan "Jack" Shirley, from Colorado, US, was killed on 14 July, Dean Carl Evans, born in Reading, UK, was killed on 21 July, Martin Gruden, born in Ljubljana, Slovenia, was killed on 27 July, Jordan MacTaggart, from Colorado, U.S., was killed on 3 August and William Savage, from Maryland, U.S., was killed on 10 August.[75][76][77][78] During the YPG and Arab allies assault on the IS held village of Erima on 24 November 2016, Michael Israel from California, U.S., a member of Industrial Workers of the World organization and Anton Leschek from Germany died in Turkish airstrikes.[79] Ryan Lock, 20, from Chichester, West Sussex, UK, and Nazzareno Antonio Tassone, 24, from Keswick, Ontario, Canada, were killed on the battlefield during an operation north of Raqqa on 21 December 2016.[80][81][82] The American Paolo Todd was killed in clashes against ISIS in the village of Little Swadiyah, north of Raqqa on 22 January 2017.[83] The U.S. citizen Albert Avery Harrington died on 25 January 2017 of injuries sustained seven days earlier by a car bomb attack in the village of Suwaydiya Al-Saghirah in Al-Raqqa.[84] 28-year-old Robert Grodt from Santa Cruz, California, was killed on 6 July 2017 and the 29-year-old Nicholas Warden, from Buffalo, New York, was killed on 5 July 2017, both the two U.S. citizens were killed while fighting for YPG against ISIL in the outskirts of Raqqa. Grodt was a former Occupy Wall Street protester and Warden was a veteran of the U.S. Army who had served in Afghanistan and reached the rank of sergeant with the 101st Airborne Division.[85][86] The 22-year-old Briton, Luke Rutter of Birkenhead, U.K. was killed in the same IS ambush as Grodt and Warden in the suburbs of Raqqa on 6 July 2017.[87] A former Marine fighting for the YPG, the 25-year-old David Taylor who grew up in Ocala, Florida, was killed fighting ISIS on 16 July 2017 by an improvised explosive device in Syria.[88][89] Sniper Jac Holmes, a 24-year-old former IT worker and decorator from Bournemouth in southern England, who was fighting with YPG which he had joined in January 2015, was clearing mines in Raqqa, when he was killed on 23 October 2017, after an explosive device went off close to him.[90] The French national Olivier Francois Jean Le Clainche, 41, born in Malestroit, Spain in 1977, and the Spanish national Samuel Prada Leon, 25, born in Ourense, Spain in 1993, were killed in clashes with Turkish and Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army forces at the Jandairis front in the south-western part of Afrin on 10 February 2018. The Dutch national Sjoerd Heeger, 25, was killed fighting IS in Syria's eastern Deir el-Zour province on 12 February 2018.[91][92] The Icelandic Haukur Hilmarsson, aged 31, was killed on 24 February 2018 in an artillery attack by the Turkish army in the village of Mabeta, Afrin.[93] As a YPJ fighter, the British woman Anna Campbell, 26, from Lewes in East Sussex, was killed in a Turkish airstrike in Afrin on March 15, 2018.[94][95] In the battle of Al-Baghuz Fawqani, an Italian man fighting for the YPG, Lorenzo Orsetti, was killed on Sunday, March 17, 2019.[96]
While most countries do not object in principle to their citizens joining the ranks of the YPG, Turkey has been vocal against YPG's foreign recruits.[97]
Several Australians, including former trade unionist and politician Matthew Gardiner,[98] have been involved with the YPG despite threats by Australia to prosecute any citizens involved in the Syrian Civil War.[67] Under Australian law it is a criminal offence to fight with any side in a foreign conflict.[99]
In 2017, Turkish court sentenced two Czech nationals to more than six years in prison for their alleged ties to the YPG.[100]
Foreign government support
See also: Syrian Democratic Forces
Because the YPG operates in a landlocked territory, rival opposition groups as well as the Turkish and Syrian government were able to physically prevent foreign aid from reaching it. The YPG's seizure of Til Koçer in October 2013 (cf. above) created an overland connection to more or less friendly groups in Iraq, but could not change the even more fundamental problem that the YPG had no allies willing to provide equipment.
A US military officer and YPG and YPJ commanders tour an area hit by Turkish airstrikes in April 2017
U.S. armored vehicle in Al-Hasakah, May 2017
In August 2014 Mazlum Kobanî led negotiations with the USA in Sulaymaniya, which led to a military alliance against ISIL.[101] The United States provided the YPG with air support during the Siege of Kobanî[102] and during later campaigns, helping the YPG defend territory against attacks by the Islamic State.[103] Turkey has criticised US support.[104]
The YPG also received 27 bundles totalling 24 tons of small arms and ammunition and 10 tons of medical supplies from the United States and Iraqi Kurdistan during the Siege of Kobanî.[105]
On 11 October 2015, the US began an operation to airdrop 120 tons of military supplies to the YPG and its local Arab and Turkmen allies to fight ISIL north of Raqqa. The first airdrop consisted of 112 pallets of ammunition and 'other items like hand grenades', totaling 50 tons.[106] However, statements from the US that the aid did not contain TOW's or anti-aircraft weapons made it clear that the U.S. continued to have serious regard for the interests of Turkey, which has warned against continued US support for the YPG. On the other hand, the US also supported Islamist rebel groups who fought the YPG. During the Battle of Aleppo, the US-backed Mountain Hawks Brigade battled the YPG and the Army of Revolutionaries for control of the village of Maryamin.[107]
US aid to the YPG continued in late October with the deployment of up to 50 US special forces to assist the YPG, and an enhanced air campaign to support the YPG and local militia groups in their fight against ISIS.[108][109] Some of these special forces participated in the al-Shaddadi offensive (2016) and coordinated airstrikes against ISIL.[110]
During the Battle of Tabqa (2017), YPG special forces were equipped with US-supplied combat helmets, AN/PVS-7 night vision devices, flashlights, and were armed with M4 carbines equipped with AN/PEQ-2 laser sights, holographic weapon sights, and STANAG magazines.[111]
On 9 May 2017, it was announced by the Pentagon that American President Donald Trump approved of a plan that would have the United States directly provide heavy armaments to the major SDF component group, the YPG; the plan comes before a planned final offensive to capture Raqqa from ISIL.[112][113][114]
With Russia's entrance into the war in late 2015 backing the Syrian government, some reports have alleged that the YPG coordinated with or received weapons from Russia, with rival opposition groups claiming that the timing and targeting of Russian airstrikes were suspiciously advantageous to the Kurdish militias.[115]
Despite this, YPG officials have denied any coordination with Russia.[116]
See also: Foreign relations of Rojava
Russia's position towards the YPG is not clear, and the US actively supports it, but their diplomatic relations with the PYD are the opposite. In January 2016 Russia pushed for the inclusion of the PYD in the Geneva talks.[117] In February 2016 the PYD opened a branch representative office in Moscow.[118] In contrast to this the YPG denied any coordination with officials from the U.S. State Department. The YPG would like to open a representative branch in the US, but in March 2016 interview its leader implied that it was not allowed to do so.[119]
On 14 February, Director of National Intelligence described YPG as the Syrian wing of PKK in its new report.[120]
International media outreach
The YPG's press office media operation has been a particular focus of its opponents, with Turkey bombing its premises in Cizire Canton in April 2017,[121] and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) singling out its premises in Raqqa for a raid during the late stages of the Battle of Raqqa in September 2017.[122]
Allegations concerning violations of international law
Further information: Human rights in the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria § DFNS-associated militias, Syrian Democratic Forces § Alleged war crimes, Human rights violations during the Syrian Civil War § Syrian Democratic Forces, and Human rights in Syria § Human rights in the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria
In June 2015 the Turkish government alleged that the YPG was carrying out an ethnic cleansing as part of a plan to join the Jazira and Kobanî cantons into a single territory.[123]
The U.S. State Department reacted by starting an inquiry into the allegations.[124] Its initial reaction to the report was quite skeptical, claiming it had to determine if there was "any veracity to the claims", but showed concern by calling for any administrator in the area to rule "with respect for all groups regardless of ethnicity". The fact that the report does not make any claim of the YPG targeting people based on ethnicity was probably one of the reasons why they did not take it seriously, especially when there were dozens of similar reports regarding the Syrian government, Al-Nusra Front and Free Syrian Army, who have all committed serious war crimes.
In a report published by the United Nations' Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic on 10 March 2017, the Commission refuted Amnesty International's claims of ethnic cleansing, stating that "'though allegations of 'ethnic cleansing' continued to be received during the period under review, the Commission found no evidence to substantiate claims that YPG or SDF forces ever targeted Arab communities on the basis of ethnicity."[125][126][127]
In October 2015, Amnesty International published a report[128] with claims that the YPG had driven at least 100 families from northern Syria and that in the villages of Asaylem and Husseiniya it had demolished resident homes. The report was made by Amnesty visiting the area contained in the report. It made local observations of destruction, and collected testimonies from former and actual residents of al-Hasakeh and Raqqa governorates. It found cases of YPG fighters forcibly displacing residents and using fire and bulldozers to raze homes and other structures.[129][130]
Forced displacement of civilians and destruction of civilian property is not a war crime per se. These acts only become a war crime when there is no "imperative military necessity" for them. Amnesty International claims the report documents cases in which there was no such justification.[131] It furthermore claims that "the circumstances of some of these displacements suggested that they were carried out in retaliation for people's perceived sympathies with, or family ties to, suspected members of ISIL or other armed groups",[132] thus constituting "collective punishment, which is a violation of international humanitarian law".
In interviews, YPG spokespersons acknowledged that a number of families were in fact displaced. However, they placed the number at no more than 25,[133] and claimed military necessity. They stated that the family members of terrorists maintained communications with them, and therefore had to be removed from areas where they might pose a danger.[134] They further stated that ISIL was using civilians in those areas to plant car bombs or carry out other attacks on the YPG.[135] By describing the events in Hammam al-Turkman before the village was evacuated, the report itself inadvertently supports these claims of military necessity.[136]
Recruitment of minors
In June 2014, Human Rights Watch criticized the YPG for accepting minors into their ranks,[137] picking up on multiple earlier reports of teenage fighters serving in the YPG, with a report by the United Nations Secretary General stating that 24 minors under age of 18 had been recruited by YPG, with 124 having been recruited by the Free Syrian Army and 5 by the Syrian Arab Army.[138] In response, the YPG and YPJ signed the Geneva Call Deed of Commitment protecting children in armed conflict, prohibiting sexual violence and against gender discrimination in July 2014,[139] and Kurdish security forces (YPG and Asayish) began receiving human rights training from Geneva Call and other international organisations with the YPG pledging publicly to demobilize all fighters under 18 within a month and began to enact disciplinary measures against commanders of the units that had involved in corruption and accepting recruit under age of 18 to their ranks.[140][141] In October 2015 the YPG demobilized 21 minors from the military service in its ranks.[142]
In response to reports issued by international organisations such as Human Rights Watch,[143] the general command of the SDF issued a military order prohibiting the recruitment of children.[144]
According to the annual UN report of 2018, there were 224 cases of child recruitment by the YPG and its women's unit, the YPJ, in 2017, an almost fivefold increase from the previous year.[145]
Syrian Civil War portal
International Freedom Battalion
Jabhat al-Akrad
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK)
Sutoro
YPG–FSA relations
YPG–Syrian government conflict
List of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War
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^ "YPG, allies clash with Syrian opposition groups in Aleppo". Middle East Eye. 29 November 2015.
^ Steele, Jonathan (3 December 2015). "The Syrian Kurds are winning!". New York Review of Books. Turkey had told ... the US that YPG forces would not be permitted to proceed beyond the Euphrates. In an apparent rebuke ... Kerry [said]: "We're … enhancing our air campaign in order to help drive Da'esh, which once dominated the Syria–Turkey border, out of the last seventy-mile stretch..." Review of Out of Nowhere: The Kurds of Syria in Peace and War, by Michael M. Gunter.
^ "'Obama orders US special forces to 'assist' fight against Isis in Syria '". 30 October 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
^ "EXCLUSIVE: Interethnic coalition takes on the IS group in Syria". France 24 (Youtube). 22 April 2016.
^ Shawn Snow (7 May 2017). "Syrian Kurds are now armed with sensitive US weaponry, and the Pentagon denies supplying it". Military Times.
^ "Trump to Arm Syrian Kurds, Even as Turkey Strongly Objects". New York Times. 9 May 2017.
^ "In blow to U.S.-Turkey ties, Trump administration approves plan to arm Syrian Kurds against Islamic State". Washington Post. 9 May 2017.
^ "Trump OKs arms for Syrian Kurds, despite Turkish objections". ABC News. 9 May 2017. Archived from the original on 9 May 2017.
^ "Britain says uneasy after evidence of Kurdish coordination with Syria and Russia". Reuters UK. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
^ "Kurdish fighters in Aleppo deny receiving Russian military support – ARA News". ARA News. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
^ "Russia: Kurds should be included in Geneva talks". Rudaw. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
^ "Syrian Kurdistan mission opens in Moscow". rt.com. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
^ "Salih Muslim: Time Has Proved Us Right". The Kurdistan Tribune. Retrieved 20 March 2016. The West is fully aware that the Syrian Democratic Forces are an important and reliable active on the ground, hence the military support. Unfortunately, they have not yet approached us at a political level while they keep their ties with Saudi Arabia, Turkey ... However, we do hope political relations to materialize among us in the future.
^ [1] "The Kurdish People's Protection Unit—the Syrian militia of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)—probably will seek some form of autonomy but will face resistance from Russia, Iran, and Turkey."
^ "Turkey air strikes on Kurds in Syria and Iraq spark US concern". BBC. 25 April 2017.
^ Matt Blake (27 September 2017). "British film-maker killed by Isis militants in Syria". The Guardian.
^ "Turkey accuses Kurdish forces of 'ethnic cleansing' in Syria". Agence France-Presse. 16 June 2015. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said he was troubled by the advance of Kurdish forces, saying they could in the future create a structure to threaten Turkey.
^ Saeed, Yerevan (14 October 2015). "US voices concern over allegations of rights violations by YPG". Rudaw. Retrieved 20 October 2015. We'll look closely at all these accusations to determine whether there's any veracity to the claims ... We call on those who actually are or will participate in administering these areas to do so inclusively and with respect for all groups regardless of ethnicity
^ "Syria and Islamist groups guilty of war crimes, YPG cleared: UN report". Kom News. 15 March 2017. Archived from the original on 17 March 2017.
^ Antonopoulos, Paul (15 March 2017). "UN report counters Amnesty International's claim that Kurds are ethnically cleansing in Syria". Retrieved 9 May 2017.
^ "UN report refutes ethnic cleansing claims against Syrian Kurdish YPG, SDF". 14 March 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
^ "We had nowhere else to go, Forced displacement and demolition in northern Syria" (PDF). October 2015. In July and August 2015 Amnesty International investigated the forced displacement of residents from 10 villages and towns in areas under the control of the Autonomous Administration
^ "Syria: US ally's razing of villages amounts to war crimes". Amnesty International. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
^ "Syria Kurds 'razing villages seized from IS' – Amnesty". BBC News. 13 October 2015. Of 225 buildings visible [in Husseiniya] in June 2014, only 14 were still standing by June 2015.
^ "We had nowhere else to go, Forced displacement and demolition in northern Syria" (PDF). October 2015. this report documents cases in which there was no such justification
^ "We had nowhere else to go, Forced displacement and demolition in northern Syria" (PDF). October 2015. The circumstances of some of the instances of forced displacement documented in this report suggest that they were carried out in retaliation for people's perceived sympathies with, or family ties to, suspected members of IS or other armed groups. This would constitute collective punishment, which is a violation of international humanitarian law.
^ Amnesty International (13 October 2015), "We had nowhere else to go": Forced displacement and demolitions in northern Syria, retrieved 19 March 2016
^ "We had nowhere else to go, Forced displacement and demolition in northern Syria" (PDF). October 2015. In some dangerous areas there are some specific cases that are very small, resulting from the terrorist threat, where families were sent away from the area ... Only 25 families were forced to leave across Rojava ... (They are told) 'Folks, remove your things please, and if you leave from this area until the war ends it will be a good thing ...' You have terrorists in al-Raqqa and their families – the uncle, and brother, and sister – are here, and they are in communication, giving them information. We were forced to distance these families. Not detain them. Distance them. Take them outside of the area.
^ "We had nowhere else to go, Forced displacement and demolition in northern Syria" (PDF). October 2015. He added that IS was benefiting from the presence of civilians in these areas, and using them to plant car bombs or carry out other attacks on the YPG.
^ "We had nowhere else to go, Forced displacement and demolition in northern Syria" (PDF). October 2015. After the YPG took the village, on 15 June, a car bomb killed three YPG fighters 4km from Hammam al-Turkman at a checkpoint in Damishli. The following day there were skirmishes between the YPG and IS in the village before IS was pushed back. A second car bomb went off at a YPG checkpoint at the health clinic in the village on 18 June killing a YPG fighter and injuring one civilian and three days later IS shot and killed a second YPG fighter near the clinic. It was after the death of this fighter that the residents were told by the YPG that they had to leave the village.
^ "World Report 2009: China". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
^ U.N. Security Council (5 June 2015). Report of the Secretary-General: Children and armed conflict (Report). para. 191. Actual numbers are expected to be higher.... A number of pro-Government groups, including Hizbullah, also reportedly recruited children in small numbers.
^ "Syria: 4 brigades of the Free Syrian Army commit to prohibit sexual violence and the use of child soldiers [EN/AR] - Syrian Arab Republic".
^ "Syria: Kurdish Forces Violating Child Soldier Ban Despite Promises, Children Still Fight". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
^ Perry, Tom; Malla, Naline (10 September 2015). "Western states train Kurdish force in Syria, force's leader says". Reuters. Amnesty International this month faulted the Kurdish administration for arbitrary detentions and unfair trials.... [Ciwan] Ibrahim said ... efforts were underway to improve its human rights record.... The Geneva Call ... promotes good treatment of civilians in war zones...
^ YPG demobilizes 21 children under the age of 18 from the military service in its ranks (Report). Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 28 October 2015. Archived from the original on 21 November 2015.
^ "Syria: Armed Group Recruiting Children in Camps". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
^ "SDF command issues order banning child recruitment". Kurdistan 24. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
^ http://undocs.org/s/2018/465
Rashid, Bedir Mulla (2018) [1st pub. 2017]. Military and Security Structures of the Autonomous Administration in Syria. Translated by Obaida Hitto. Istanbul: Omran for Strategic Studies. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018.
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New Haven, Connecticut – July 20, 2007 – Woodbridge, LLC., an innovative middle-market mergers and acquisitions firm, is pleased to announce the expansion of its buy-side practice to the European market. Woodbridge will now offer its advisory services to U.S.-based buyers seeking middle-market acquisitions in Europe via its Netherlands-based European operation, Woodbridge Europe.
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Austin's Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival
Posted on September 5, 2014 by Dana
aGLIFF, or the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (which some of you might know as the Polari Film Festival), was founded in 1987 by Scott Dinger. aGLIFF will celebrate its 27th year Sept 10-14 here in Austin at the Alamo Drafthouse S Lamar.
aGLIFF is the longest running film festival in Austin, older than both AFF and the film component of SXSW.
Last year, aGLIFF was held in October. This year, the festival is in September so it doesn't compete as much with AFF. Also, September is PRIDE month in Austin. Jim Brunzell, aGLIFF Program Director, noted, "It makes sense to group [aGLIFF] in there with Stargayzer and PRIDE."
The aGLIFF 2014 festival line-up boasts 40 feature films and 62 shorts. Many of the feature films are Southwest or Texas premieres, and some of the shorts are world premieres.
One of this year's feature films, Peter de Rome: Grandfather of Gay Porn will be a US premiere. To celebrate, aGLIFF will be flying in director Ethan Reid for the weekend. aGLIFF will be the second festival to play Reid's fim after its world premiere in England this past June.
Peter de Rome's death on June 21 of this year makes Reid's film that much more timely and important to the LGBTQ community.
Brunzell said he is excited that aGLIFF will host the US premiere. "It's a nice thing to have."
He went on to say, however, that he doesn't put as much emphasis on premiere status as others might. "Premiere status is big," Brunzell admitted. "Some people get real tied up in it. But it doesn't bother me."
"I'm looking for the best content, to reach the widest audience, and to get them to talk about it, too," Brunzell continued. "It's an important part of the movie experience to digest what you've seen and talk about it with others. It's important to have lively discussion and engage people."
"I prefer better content to premiere status," Brunzell explained.
Speaking of content, films are chosen for aGLIFF in a variety of stages. Brunzell scouted for appropriate films at festivals like Sundace, Tribeca, and even SXSW, as well as contacting film distributors for recommendations. aGLIFF also solicits films. They have a screening committee of 20-25 individuals who watch and grade film submissions, whether solicited or blind.
The aGLIFF 2014 theme is: "We're not an audience. We're a community."
In honor of the theme, Brunzell has made a conscious effort to change the format of the shorts from years' past. aGLIFF shorts used to be divided into "men's" and "women's" categories. This year, shorts are divided into categories like "comedy," "drama," and "experimental" instead.
Speaking of the change, Brunzell said, "We're trying to unite people, to encourage them to see films together. What if I'm a man and there's something I'm dying to see, but it's a 'woman's' short so I can't go? To me, I found that offensive. We want the audience to see films together."
Speaking further of the theme, and the community he believes aGLIFF builds in Austin, Brunzell said, "A film festival great place to meet people intellectually."
"You can meet great people standing in line," Brunzell continued. "When I go to a festival, I'm most excited about meeting other journalists. There are up and coming actors, actresses, and filmmakers…if you're aspiring to any of those things, it's a rare opportunity to meet people in person, or go to a Q&A after a screening."
Brunzell believes that film festivals are a valuable community experience. "Austin supports film," he said. "There's a need for a LGBTQ film festival in Austin. If we didn't exist, very few of these films would come to town."
In that vein, Brunzell made an effort to bring new films to Austin for aGLIFF. Several good LGBTQ films were shown at SXSW this year. While the committee considered bringing some of those films back for aGLIFF, it was ultimately decided against. Brunzell explained, "If we bring them back, we have to turn down a film people have never seen."
Brunzell moved from Minneapolis to Austin after SXSW to work on this year's aGLIFF festival, and said, "It's nice to share your hard work with a community you trust and care about." Brunzell said he's nervous but excited about the upcoming festival. "I wanna meet people in the community and get to know them as well. I hope people care about this organization as much as I do."
Brunzell himself is straight, and while he says working for aGLIFF has taken him out of his element, it's been a positive challenge. "To me it doesn't matter if you're gay or straight – everyone goes to the movies for the same reason," Brunzell stated. "First and foremost I'm a film lover."
Brunzell believes aGLIFF has plenty of films that both straight and gay audience members can enjoy, encouraging attendees to bring family and friends to the festival.
aGLIFF is a non-profit organization, so all the funds beyond the cost of the festival itself go towards helping the organization grow and improve for the future. Brunzell encouraged Austinites to attend the festival saying, "All the money goes toward a good cause. There's gotta be one film in a hundred that interests you."
The S Lamar Alamo Drafthouse location hasn't been open since 2011. aGLIFF 2014 will be the first festival at the new S Lamar venue, and Brunzell believes that's reason enough to attend. "It's a huge deal," Brunzell said. "People talk about that theatre like it's a holy place."
It's not too late to buy a badge for aGLIFF, which will provide priority seating for all film showings, much like SXSW. Badges start at $100, or $50 for students. Badges can be picked up at the aGLIFF offices on 1107 S 8th St starting Sept 8, or at Alamo Drafthouse S Lamar starting Sept 10.
For those on a budget, all individual film tickets are $5 before 5pm, and $10 after 5pm. Individual tickets can be purchased at drafthouse.com or in the lobby of the S Lamar location. Without the benefit of priority seating, however, be prepared to show up at least 45 minutes early to ensure admittance to the screening.
This article was originally published by The Horn on 09/04/2014.
Category: Film/TV Review, LGBTQ, The Horn Tags: aGLIFF, Austin, film, LGBTQ
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Latin America faces major threats to democratic governance, but there are also new opportunities for grassroots mobilization and social policy expansion. In Critical Issues in Democratic Governance the Stone Center for Latin American Studies and the Center for Inter-American Policy and Research will host speakers to discuss emerging issues that have surfaced in democratic governance in the region. In Brazil, the AIDS movement constructed a powerful new advocacy coalition, with coordination between bureaucrats and activities. In Argentina and Brazil, there are sharp contrasts in the social welfare policies that governors and mayors have implemented, with profound consequences for livelihood of the poor and marginalized. Finally, the outbreak of violence across Latin America, under democratic regimes raises questions about how criminal organizations compete for influence over transnational illicit networks and infiltrate the state.


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Facharbeiterprüfung steht für:
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 der Berufsabschluss bei Forstberufen in Österreich, siehe Facharbeiterprüfung (Österreich)

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James ( Jim ) Richard Shoemaker 83 of Binghamton NY passed away Thursday evening March 28, 2019 to be with His Lord at Norwich Rehabilitation Center, NY. Born May 25, 1935 in Towanda, Pa. He was the son of the late Myron and Anna Shoemaker of Laceyville, Pa. Surviving are his wife of 60 years Nancy ( Nivison ) Shoemaker 82 of Endwell,NY , daughter Traci Shoemaker of Binghamton, NY and son Jeff and daughter in law Andrea Shoemaker of Brackney, Pa. Also surviving are his grandchildren who loved him dearly Kelsey ( Shoemaker ) Laubacker, Brackney, Pa and Griffin Shoemaker of Montrose Pa. He leaves behind many nieces,nephews and cousins as well. He was the last of the Shoemaker family for his generation and was predeceased by 3 brothers and 1 sister. William E. Shoemaker of Wysox,Pa 1991; Robert W. Shoemaker Laceyville, Pa 1989; M. Marshall Shoemaker, 1999 Nevada; and Helen VanHouten 1999 Waverly NY. Jim was a loving husband, father. grandfather and uncle. He graduated from Laceyville HS in 1954. Served in the US Navy 1954-58. His main tour was on the USS Mattabesset a fuel tanker engaged in operations and exercises in the Mediterranean. He was a Teamster for 32 years last employed by St Johnsbury Trucking. An avid outdoorsman he enjoyed all types of fishing and hunting, golf and football. He was also a Little League coach for many years.
Arrangements were entrusted to Hopler & Eschbach Funeral Home of Binghamton NY.
The family will be celebrating his life at their home Sunday 4/28/19 from 3 pm-6 pm.