| Anna Campbell | |
|---|---|
|
Portrait of Anna Campbell Portrait of Anna Campbell | |
| Born | 1991 |
| Died | 15 March 2018 (aged 26)[1] |
| Place of birth | Lewes, East Sussex, England |
| Place of death | Afrin District, Syria |
| Allegiance |
 Rojava |
| Service/branch |
 Women's Protection Units (YPJ) |
Anna Montgomery Campbell (1991 – 15 March 2018), also known as Hêlîn Qereçox, was a British feminist, anarchist and prison abolition activist who fought with the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) in the Rojava conflict of the Syrian civil war. She was killed in Rojava by a Turkish Armed Forces missile strike.[2][1]
Ancestry and early life[]
Campbell was born in Lewes, East Sussex, England, the daughter of progressive rock musician Dirk Campbell.[3][4] Her mother was Katherine Emma "Adrienne Katie", born Bridges, her father's second wife.[5]
Campbell had military forebears, with ancestors serving in the Royal Navy and Royal Artillery. Her grandfather served in The Royal Tank Regiment in World War II.
She was educated at the independent St Mary's Hall, Brighton, then went to study at University of Sheffield before moving to Bristol, where she worked as a plumber.[6] Campbell was involved with many political actions, including the 2010 United Kingdom student protests, the Hunt Saboteurs Association, Anarchist Black Cross and other anarchist and abolitionist organisations and projects, including international ones such as ZAD de Notre-Dame-des-Landes.[2][7]
Involvement in the Rojava conflict[]
During the Rojava conflict, Campbell fought with the YPJ in the Deir ez-Zor campaign, an attack on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant stronghold of Deir ez-Zor. She was also involved in the YPJ's activities in support of women's rights in Kurdistan. According to The New York Times, she was moved by the defence of "an autonomous, mostly Kurdish region in northern Syria, known as Rojava, whose leaders advocate a secular, democratic and egalitarian politics, with equal rights for women".[8]
Death[]
Campbell was killed by a Turkish Armed Forces missile strike during the Turkish military operation in the Afrin Canton, Operation Olive Branch.[1][9] The YPJ announced:[10][11][7]
Our British comrade Hêlîn Qereçox (Anna Campbell) has become the symbol of all women after resisting against fascism in Afrin to create a free world. We promise to fulfill Şehîd (martyr) Hêlîn’s struggle and honour her memory in our fight for freedom.
She is the first British woman to die fighting for the YPJ.[12]
Following the announcement of Campbell's death, her father started a campaign to recover her body, which could not be located by aid organisations until a ceasefire was in place in the area.[13] Dirk Campbell accused the British government of 'a total lack of proactivity' in helping to recover her body,[14] which is yet to be recovered from the battlefield as of 2019.[15]
In response to Campbell's death there were various protests around the world, protesters from the Bristol Kurdish Solidarity Network (BKSN) and friends of Campbell blocked the offices of BAE Systems in Bristol, the city Anna lived in previously. Activists accuse the company of supplying weapons to Turkey which have been used against civilians in Rojava.[16] Another protest in Bristol was held a year after Anna's death. It was reported to have blocked a large roundabout and caused traffic problems in the local area.[17] Graffiti has also sprung up in the city showing solidarity, particularly in the Easton, Bristol and Saint Pauls where many of the anarchist projects she was part of are based.[18]
As well as the local protests support has been shown from many other individuals and projects across the world.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Blake, Matt (2018-03-19). "British woman killed fighting Turkish forces in Afrin" (in en). https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/19/briton-kurds-anna-campbell-dies-fighting-turkey-syria-afrin.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Rest in Power Anna". http://www.prisonabolition.org/rest-power-anna/. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ↑ Martin, Laura (25 June 2019). "Anna Campbell: What happened to the woman from East Sussex who went to fight Isis in Syria". https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/anna-campbell-the-woman-who-went-to-fight-isis-bbc-two-what-happened-syria-east-sussex-499761. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- ↑ Blake, Matt (2018-04-01). "Anna Campbell's father: 'I don't think I had any right to stop her fighting in Syria'" (in en-GB). The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/01/anna-campbell-father-no-right-to-stop-her-fighting-syria-kurds.
- ↑ "Adrienne 1960–2012". https://www.dirkcampbell.co.uk/adrienne.
- ↑ Gibbons, Katie; Spencer, Richard (2018-03-18). "Anna Campbell killed fighting alongside female Kurdish unit in Syria" (in en). The Sunday Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 2021-07-17. https://archive.today/20210717181330/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/anna-campbell-killed-fighting-alongside-female-kurdish-unit-in-syria-6n577pxl0.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sweeney, Steve (2019-10-26). "Bring Anna Home". https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/f/bring-anna-home.
- ↑ Pérez-Peña, Richard (2018-03-19). "Drawn to a Cause, British Woman Dies Fighting Alongside Kurds in Syria" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/19/world/middleeast/anna-campbell-syria-ypj-kurds.html.
- ↑ Norton, Alexander (2018-03-20). "I fought with the YPG and I'm upset by the patronising reaction to Anna Campbell's death" (in en-GB). https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/anna-campbell-death-syria-afrin-kurdish-fought-with-ypj-ypg-reaction-a8265176.html.
- ↑ "British woman killed while fighting in Syria was 'fearless and noble'". 2018-03-19. https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/uk-news/2018/03/19/british-woman-killed-while-fighting-in-syria-was-fearless-and-noble/.
- ↑ "Memorial for YPJ martyr Anna Campbell in London". 2019-09-01. https://anfenglishmobile.com/women/memorial-for-ypj-martyr-anna-campbell-in-london-42304.
- ↑ Blake, Matt (2018-03-23). "'Thousands could die': female British fighter urges support for Syria's Kurds" (in en-GB). https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/23/thousands-could-die-female-british-fighter-rukan-renas-urges-support-for-syrias-kurds.
- ↑ Warburton, Dan (2018-03-24). "Dad of a Brit killed fighting ISIS launches desperate bid to bring home her body". mirror. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/father-brit-woman-killed-syria-12245513.
- ↑ Evans, Martin (2018-03-21). "Father of British woman killed in Syria demands more help to repatriate her body" (in en-GB). The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/21/father-british-woman-killed-syria-demands-help-repatriate-body/.
- ↑ King, Susan (24 October 2019). "Grieving Lewes father of Anna Campbell takes legal action to bring her body home". https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/people/grieving-lewes-father-of-anna-campbell-takes-legal-action-to-bring-her-body-home-1-9118531. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- ↑ Cork, Tristan (2018-03-23). "'Anna is with us' – Protest blockades BAE office over death of activist". bristolpost. https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/protestors-blockade-bae-systems-office-1376693.
- ↑ Grimshaw, Emma; Chipperfield, Daniel (2019-03-16). "LIVE: Large police presence as protests block busy Bristol roundabout" (in en). https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/live-large-police-presence-protests-2653693.
- ↑ Smith, Joseph (2018-03-24). "Graffiti, signs and messages of love for Anna Campbell spring up across Bristol" (in en). https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/graffiti-signs-messages-love-anna-1379952.
Further reading[]
- Dearden, Lizzie; Osborne, Samuel (2018-03-19). "British woman killed while fighting with an all-female Kurdish militia in Syria" (in en). The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/british-woman-killed-syria-anna-campbell-lewes-east-sussex-fighting-all-female-kurdish-militia-a8262831.html.
- Gibbons, Katie (2018-03-29). "Anna Campbell's family: 'We were seven, until she went to Syria'" (in en). The Sunday Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 2021-07-17. https://archive.today/20210717181334/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/anna-campbells-family-wewere-seven-until-she-wenttosyria-l05rvxdlg.
- Vardy, Emma (2018-03-19). "Briton killed fighting with Kurdish unit" (in en-GB). BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43453292.
- Immortal : mourning, martyrs & murals, 2019, ISBN 978-1-78972-016-7
External links[]
- "Letter to Helin". Internationalist Commune of Rojava. 20 March 2018. https://internationalistcommune.com/letter-to-helin/.
The original article can be found at Anna Campbell and the edit history here.