Anna Montgomery Campbell (1991 – 15 March 2018), also known by her Kurdish name Hêlîn Qereçox,[a] 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][3]
Anna Campbell | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Anna Campbell | |
| Other name(s) | Hêlîn Qereçox |
| Born | 1991 Lewes, East Sussex, England |
| Died | 15 March 2018 (aged 26) Afrin District, Syria |
| Allegiance |  Rojava |
| Service |  Women's Protection Units (YPJ) |
Ancestry and early life
editCampbell was born in Lewes, East Sussex, England, the daughter of progressive rock musician Dirk Campbell.[4][5] Her mother was Katherine Emma "Adrienne Katie", born Bridges, her father's second wife.[6]
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 St Mary's Hall, Brighton, then went to study at University of Sheffield before moving to Bristol, where she worked as a plumber.[7] Campbell was involved with many political actions, including the 2010 United Kingdom student protests, the Hunt Saboteurs Association, and was involved in supporting the Irish Travellers at Dale Farm who were resisting their eviction in 2011 and also the Anarchist Black Cross and other anarchist and abolitionist organisations and projects, including international ones such as ZAD de Notre-Dame-des-Landes.[2][8]
Involvement in the Rojava conflict
editDuring 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".[9]
Death
editCampbell was killed by a Turkish Armed Forces missile strike during the Turkish military operation in the Afrin Canton, Operation Olive Branch.[3][10] The YPJ announced:[11][12][8]
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 Hêlîn’s struggle and honour her memory in our fight for freedom.
She is the first British woman to die fighting for the YPJ.[13]
Legacy
editFollowing 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.[14] Dirk Campbell accused the British government of 'a total lack of proactivity' in helping to recover her body,[15] which is yet to be recovered from the battlefield as of 2021.[16][17]
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.[18] 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.[19] Graffiti has also sprung up in the city showing solidarity, particularly in the Easton, Bristol and St Pauls where many of the anarchist projects she was part of are based.[20]
As well as the local protests support has been shown from many other individuals and projects across the world.
A Turkish woman, Peri Pamir, was twice convicted for "creating propaganda for a terrorist organisation" after sharing a Guardian article about Campbell on Facebook in 2018.[21]
References
edit- ^ Arîn (20 March 2018). "Letter to Helin". Internationalist Commune of Rojava. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Rest in Power Anna". Empty Cages Collective (prisonabolition.org). Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ a b Blake, Matt (19 March 2018). "British woman killed fighting Turkish forces in Afrin". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
- ^ Martin, Laura (25 June 2019). "Anna Campbell: What happened to the woman from East Sussex who went to fight Isis in Syria". i. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- ^ Blake, Matt (1 April 2018). "Anna Campbell's father: 'I don't think I had any right to stop her fighting in Syria'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ "Adrienne 1960–2012". Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ Gibbons, Katie; Spencer, Richard (18 March 2018). "Anna Campbell killed fighting alongside female Kurdish unit in Syria". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021.
- ^ a b Sweeney, Steve (26 October 2019). "Bring Anna Home". Morning Star. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ Pérez-Peña, Richard (19 March 2018). "Drawn to a Cause, British Woman Dies Fighting Alongside Kurds in Syria". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ Norton, Alexander (20 March 2018). "I fought with the YPG and I'm upset by the patronising reaction to Anna Campbell's death". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
- ^ "British woman killed while fighting in Syria was 'fearless and noble'". Shropshire Star. 19 March 2018. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ "Memorial for YPJ martyr Anna Campbell in London". ANF News. 1 September 2019. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ Blake, Matt (23 March 2018). "'Thousands could die': female British fighter urges support for Syria's Kurds". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- ^ Warburton, Dan (24 March 2018). "Dad of a Brit killed fighting ISIS launches desperate bid to bring home her body". mirror. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- ^ Evans, Martin (21 March 2018). "Father of British woman killed in Syria demands more help to repatriate her body". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- ^ King, Susan (24 October 2019). "Grieving Lewes father of Anna Campbell takes legal action to bring her body home". Sussex Express. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- ^ Edwards, Matty (19 May 2022). "'Help me bring my daughter's body home': Dad of Anna Campbell speaks out". The Bristol Cable. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ Cork, Tristan (23 March 2018). "'Anna is with us' – Protest blockades BAE office over death of activist". bristolpost. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- ^ Grimshaw, Emma; Chipperfield, Daniel (16 March 2019). "LIVE: Large police presence as protests block busy Bristol roundabout". BristolLive. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ Smith, Joseph (24 March 2018). "Graffiti, signs and messages of love for Anna Campbell spring up across Bristol". BristolLive. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ Michaelson, Ruth (25 November 2024). "Turkish woman convicted under anti-terror laws for sharing Guardian article". The Guardian.
Notes
edit- ^ Hêlîn means nest in Kurdish. Qereçox is a name of a mountain near the Semalka Border Crossing.[1]
Further reading
edit- Dearden, Lizzie; Osborne, Samuel (19 March 2018). "British woman killed while fighting with an all-female Kurdish militia in Syria". The Independent. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- Gibbons, Katie (29 March 2018). "Anna Campbell's family: 'We were seven, until she went to Syria'". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021.
- Vardy, Emma (19 March 2018). "Briton killed fighting with Kurdish unit". BBC News. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- Immortal : mourning, martyrs & murals, 2019, ISBN 978-1-78972-016-7