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THEIR DAY JOB is fighting so-called Islamic State in northern Syria, but the campaign to repeal the eighth amendment to the Irish Constitution hasn’t gone unnoticed by these female troops fighting for their own liberation.
The US-backed Bob Crow brigade, a group of British and Irish volunteers embedded with Kurdish forces in northern Syria, tweeted its support for the proposed changes to the Irish constitution earlier this week.
This week saw the 33rd anniversary of the enactment of the Eighth Amendment, which introduced a constitutional ban on abortion in the Republic of Ireland.
“International Freedom Battalion in solidarity with our sisters in Ireland fighting to #Repealthe8th,” it tweeted, along with a picture of two female soldiers posing above a banner that reads:
Ní saoirse go saoirse na mban [no freedom without female emancipation].
Today it tweeted as Gaeilge: “Great piece on us from Nós magazine, well done! Great magazine.”
The International Freedom Battalion comprise international volunteers from Europe, North America and Australia who say they are fighting to defend the “Rojava revolution” of an egalitarian, liberal society sought by the Syrian Democratic Forces.
The SDF comprise Kurdish and Arab fighters, but say they are now facing attack by a coalition of Isis and Turkish military forces.
The group, which fights with the Syrian Democratic Forces, recently successfully pushed Isis out of Manbij.
Their campaign was halted by Turkey, who intervened after five years on the sidelines of the Syria Civil War to ensure the SDF forces do not join up with other Kurdish forces in north-west Syria.
The incursion was painted as an anti-Isis invasion, but international analysts point out that the border between Turkish and Isis forces remains open, and Turkish military operations appear to concentrate on the anti-Isis forces, which it labels “terrorists”.
Turkey denies that Kurds are even a separate people, instead insisting they are “mountain Turks that lost their language”.
The group is affiliated to the socialist International Freedom Battalion, and also posted a picture of two balaclava-clad soldiers standing before a mural of James Connolly’s emblematic plough and the stars.
The image is in solidarity with Dublin Bus drivers, who are in the middle of a series of strikes in pursuit of a 15% pay rise.
The Bob Crow Brigade is named in honor of a famous English trade union activist who died in 2014.
It takes its inspiration from the International Brigade, which fought against Franco’s fascist forces in Spain in the 1930s.
Read: We asked every TD if they want to repeal the Eighth Amendment – here’s what they said
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I’m willing to bet my life that they have absolutely no idea of what’s wrote on those signs
“… no idea of what’s wrote on those signs”
Yeah, I bet they weren’t learned proper.
It’s says repeal the 8th?
From the very beginning of the article…
‘The US-backed Bob Crow brigade, a group of British and Irish volunteers embedded with Kurdish forces in northern Syria, tweeted its support for the proposed changes to the Irish constitution with the slogan “Ní saoirse go saoirse na mban”.’
I think it’s reasonable to assume that if they’re British and Irish, that there’s a reasonable chance that they can write in English and Irish, no?
Judging by your use of english you wouldn’t have a clue yourself!!!.
@ david : “Judging by your use of english you wouldn’t have a clue yourself!!!.”
Hi David, speaking of ‘having a clue’, the word ‘english’ in your post should have a capital ‘E’.
Good lad.
Maybe we will see across our TV screens. This add is supported by the Female fighters in Syria
Both of you are incorrect. It’s you’re you should be using not your. Inallinanyways
Hi Jimmy. Sadly, you’re mistaken.
In my post above I use ‘your’ as it indicates possession i.e. your post. ‘You’re’ is short for ‘you are’, as used in the sentence above.
Owch…..
I knew that, just wanted to give it a bit more mileage.
Super, a real counterpoint to the portrayl of females in the middle east. Well done to them and the Brit and Irish volunteers with them. Such a pity history has continually been against the Kurds and they do not have their own state.
In fairness, the Kurds have a history of doing their own oppression of minorities whenever they got the chance (like most peoples in fairness). Their treatment of Assyrians has historically not been good, although they have tried to acknowledge this and do better now.
The Journals campaign continues.
There you are Paddy Scruffy. Do you have an alert set up or something?
maybe you should make a complaint if you feel aggrieved?
Jaysus Paddy long time no see. We thought you were sitting at the right hand or on his knee if that’s appropriate behaviour for a Catholic. Actually I think it is.
And yet here you are Paddy. Clicking on links on the site, generating revenue for people you believe are pro choice and ultimately helping to scupper your own sides campaign…
Paddy, as a member of ‘Catholic Comment’, is it galling for you to see a US funded organisation which DOESN’T support the subjugation of women?
Luv da beard Paddy.
Continues and will win in the end. Sickner Paddy.
Yes paddy and u r helping it every thumb u get well done thanks for the help
@Petr – the moment you personally insulted the man you lost all credibility.
Paddy Scully, the living proof of the existence of fundamentalism in Ireland.
if anybody here had any credibility they wouldn’t be here
Like yourself.
i do
That ended with a full stop not a question mark.
I know you don’t do capital letters or punctuation.
So if anti IS fighters are pro choice does that mean we’ll soon be seeing Breda O Brien joining ISIS? Stay tuned folks, sh*ts about to get interesting.
@Tony
You just made me spit out my beer
Ha ha Tony. Comment of the day
More bizarre news stories from the journal,mustn’t b anything of note in the news today,maybe the Journal should take the weekend off and just run Monday to Friday. Maybe I’m missing something on this one.
Did anyone else notice that the journal is getting worse than ever regarding the quality of their journalism
“More bizarre news stories from the journal,mustn’t b anything of note in the news today,”
You don’t think the fact that there are Irish women fighting ISIS, and that they tweeted support for the repeal of the 8th is newsworthy?
Seems newsworthy to me. Also, sites like the journal wouldn’t exist without those clicks. So whether you are complaining about the quality or praising it, they don’t care. As long as you click.
It’s deemed newsworthy as it goes along with the pro-abortion agenda of thejournal.ie
some lad was trying to push a new phrase there recently ‘pro-abort’, doesn’t seem to have caught on
The issue of repealing the 8th Amendment or retaking the 8th Amendment is topical, important and newsworthy.
I would be concerned if The Journal started to censor and suppress coverage just to pacify the Irish fundamentalists.
“a group of British and Irish volunteers”…how many is a group?
I suspect all 2 of them!
Peoples front of Judea springs to mind.
People here never shut up about how much they hate ISIS and how ISIS need to be taken out. Then a group of brave volunteers go over to Syria and put their lives on the line fighting ISIS and the response of the rabble here is to mock them. Could you lot sink any lower.
Agreed.
@Petr – what about you personally insulting people here?
Absolute bad ass heroes! They’re truly inspiring.
Want to see the world?
Join the army, travel to exotic places ……………….and kill babies.
Michael will be on soon to say how brave they are and how they’re our heroes for speaking out for us ..
I see there’s a new Joey account this morning. Haha.
This is worse getting worse than Spartacus.
I’ve reported you for trying to impersonate me.
Ridiculous carry on …
Sorry Joey.
I’m claiming precedence on this one.
Get lost.
‘for trying to impersonate me’
Why would I want to impersonate you?
I am Unique.
Those female troops should be ashamed of themselves. They are supposed to be saving lives not advocating ending innocent lives.
something something innocent babies
I doubt they care what you think Amy.
Guaranteed to have abortion on a Sunday. Took longer than expected.
im not sure you need one Dan
Good reasoned thinking there.
sorry, i gendered you.
No, you made an idiotic statement.
Dan — I’m pretty sure it was you who made an idiotic statement.
@Joey – how so? Isn’t it a fact the Journal publishes abortion articles on a Sunday?
@ Dan Keane “Guaranteed to have abortion on a Sunday. Took longer than expected.2
Why? Was your flight to England delayed?
The intelligence level is low today.
the force is strong with this one
Who cares what women who circumcise baby boys have to say about Irelands abortion laws.
Petr. Your constant insults in the comments shows your level of intelligence.
International dopes that need to get a real job. Silly little hippies
@Max
Try that again. Or do you only speak fluent gibberish?
have a heart, he is a baby after all
Its the kurdish “RA” says wee willie bigot frazer o.o. high gimp
Socialism… It’s like standing in a bucket and trying it to pick yourself up, it just doesn’t work.
Ah the ‘ol Socialism v Capitalism war of words.
One picks away at your pocket, the other picks away at your brain.
Socialism does work but people confuse it with communism that doesn’t work at all? Jesus was a socialist?
bolshevik vanguardism doesn’t work. im not sure menshevism was ever really tried.
Or they could just buy their own buckets.
If these had posted an anti abortion message we’d be telling them to feic off and mind their own business. So why the different treatment when they are posting a pro-populist message?
feic off and mind your own business
Don’t you know free speech is allowed only if you’re pro-abortion.
They’re having a laugh. fighting Isis and supporting bus drivers.what next? suicide bombers supporting rent controls?
you can feel strongly about different issues you know
Did you notice the part where they’re fighting ISIS or were you too busy rushing to have a go at the first Muslims you saw in the article?
What are you doing to fight ISIS aside from posting inane comments?
Have a godsdamned seat.
The Syrian conflict is painted as a civil war, but many international analysts paint it as a proxy invasion by the US, planned as far back as 2001.
Is that Michael Moore in your avatar? Makes sense, only someone who idolises such a buffoon would make such a spurious claim.
They seem really badass and I love this solidarity they’re sending on the bus strike and the 8th… but they are US funded. Meh.
You do realise that just because they are US backed, that doesn’t make them any less badass?
The US can back the good guys and/or the bad guys, you know.
and both sides (which is less comical than it should be)
Cant tell if actually women or not, and as someone said above i too bet they haven’t the foggiest what they’re stood in front of.
They are women under that army suit. You can see the shape of their figure. Don’t know if they are aware of it at all about the poster in front of them.
It states they are British and Irish Ava.
They also backed the British rail workers strike a while back. I’m all for the Kurds tearing the head off IS but I would love to hear the thoughts of these women on their allies in another US backed group the Nour al-Din al-Zinki Movement who beheaded a 12 year old boy back in July. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-36843990.
Another interesting thing about this group is that they would seem to be affiliated to Eirigi seeing as they use a green star as their emblem. Fighting IS is indeed a noble cause but will Garda CSB think so when these battle hardened women come back?
As a bus driver I’ve absolutely no idea what to say about this. Probably best saying nothing in case they get upset…
Maybe you could say thanks for support and solidarity?
Oh and it’s definitely a photo shop picture btw
mad hacker skills m8
Fair play to those women! Not interested in their stance on the bus drivers (no offence intended to the drivers themselves, just that it is luas drivers 2.0, debate has already been covered, outcome should be foregone conclusion), but to be fighting ISIS on the ground and still take time to throw support to issues on this miserable rock as well, that takes serious spirit.
Gasp! Shock horror! Women in foreign places are starting to notice that women in this little country are being treated badly because the Kiddy-Fiddler Church says abortion is wrong. Where will it all end?
I hear the Iona “institute” has been called into emergency session to discuss this blatant exercise of freedom of expression and the bishops have called a meeting in Gaynooth.
But where is our number one self-styled defender of “the unborn”, Con O’Sullivan?
Fintanofsweden. What ever i do or do not defend. I will condemn any abuse of women which you support, as you wrote on August the 4th in the Journal.ie” i’ve met one or two I wouldn’t mind having in mine. But they are all young and pretty women pastors in the Nordic region. I’d love to ride them so hard that they’d be speaking in tongues”. As for “kiddy Fiddling” as you call child abuse, you can hardly talk about Catholics and their Church when your atheist brethren raped thousands of young children as well as old women, and women of all ages in the east of Germany in 1945. As for your beloved Shangri La which you call Sweden , it is not such a nice place after all for women. I note that the local police are covering up the rape of women.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/swedish-police-investigating-alleged-officer-led-c…
http://www.spectator.co.uk/…/its-not-only-germany-that-covers-up-mass-sex-attacks-by-mi…;
@Fintan – I read your comments and smile, poor lad.
Bob Crow brigade being criticised by the Jim Crow brigade!
If the commentariat here were a little more knowledgeable and enlightened, this would be comment of the week.
I don’t believe it for one minute, just a bit of photoshopping.
Hi Eamon / Liam Egan / Dain Bramage / Can’t Think of One etc.
It’s not photoshopping. The existence of this international brigade is well known. That you consider it to be unlikely that Irish and British women fighting ISIS would send such a message is odd.
cos shopp is much easier than writing something on cardboard
This is disturbing on all levels. Not the 8th Amendment I meant. The ISIS is disturbing. I prefer if the 8th Amendment was not associated with the ISIS at all. I prefer Ireland not associated with the ISIS. The ISIS should not get any news press releases in any way or form.
@Ava
Your Islamaphobia is showing. You saw Muslims and assumed ISIS. They’re not ISIS, they’re fighting ISIS.
So you don’t want Ireland associated with the people fighting IS on the ground? You only want us associated with the people fighting IS from 100s of kms away with bombs shipped through Shannon that they drop on hospitals and go “whoopsies”?
Well said Bryan.
Lads do ye think she is daft enough to think that Daesh would support abortion? Her point is that the 8th and IS are in the same article, not that IS support the repeal. It’s people like ye who give our generation such a bad name with respect to intelligence
“The ISIS should not get any news press releases in any way or form”
That’s her calling this article an ISIS press release. Should the media not talk about ISIS at all, is that what you’re saying, coz that’s the only way her comment doesn’t translate as her assuming these people are ISIS.
What were ye saying about intelligence levels? Rich when Ava also repeatedly says “the ISIS”, like your granny saying “the Facebook”.
Muppet.
i always find throwing “with respect to” into a sentence instead of “about” makes me sound smart
I see what you are saying Brian. The same way we call it THE United States of America. Yep. We are some muppets alright.
Bryan Kelly, I was not even talking about muslims in any way of form here. This is not about Islamaphobia. The reality is that this ‘ISIS’ group are terrifying terroists killing people. I am basically saying I do not want the newspapers talking about the ISIS because this is what the ISIS want. They want to be in the papers to be famous and glory. They are a terrifying group.
No point in me saying anything else since my words have been twisted around making comments when am not suffering from ‘Islamaphobia’. The ISIS group are a serious Fundamentalism group of terroists.
Ava, the Kurds fighting ISIS are also Muslim.
Fundamentalism exists in all countries and, although we don’t notice home grown fundamentalism as much as we do Middle East fundamentalism, it is all fundamentalism
Atheism is the new fundamentalism.
When was the last time an atheist handed you a pamphlet and asked you to open your heart to Dawkins? Atheism is no more a religion, much less a fundamentalist version of one, than abstinence is a sex position.
Fintanofsweden, – Atheism a natural and inseparable part of communism Comrade Lenin.
‘no more than abstinence is a sex position’
A philosophical position perhaps?
Fundamentalism remains fundamentalism.
Irish fundamentalists are just a variation on the theme of fundamentalism, anti-gay, anti-childrens’ Referendum, anti divorce and anti choice and anti freedom.
Michael. It is a bit rich coming from someone who supports FintanofSweden attitude to women and the abuse of them in what he wrote on the Journal.ie on August 4th “i’ve met one or two I wouldn’t mind having in mine. But they are all young and pretty women pastors in the Nordic region. I’d love to ride them so hard that they’d be speaking in tongues”, and you supported that comment !. Of course Anti Catholics like you and Fantanofsweden will stick together no matter what.
Con, I see that you have an unhealthy obsession, a monomania.
Michael. You supported Fintanofsweden’s scandalous quotation did you not ? . Maybe it is your new beat buddy has” an unhealthy obsession”
Well I suppose when you get the taste for killing…….
So Women are fighting for Syria their country & the men are in Europe lookin for hand-outs. Pathetic.
James, they are fighting to stop the territorial expansion of ISIS. They believe ISIS is backed by Turkey, who are also their enemy. The Turks crossed the Syrian border to attack the Kurdish fighters, and not ISIS as MSM published.
Kurdish fighters were the only force that rescued the Yazidi refugees from ISIS, rescued many women slaves from ISIS as well. They get little support from anyone, and have few heavy weapons.
Dave Doyle, you are saying that the Kurdish are the good guys. Also that Turkey is supporting the ISIS? That is new to me. I must read up more about this.
@dave doyle – Ur comment is irrelevant – Where is the Syrian men – 2fight 4 their country.
Taking the fight to nasty terrorist and defenceless unborn babies everywhere, go girl
que niño tonto.
You spelt tomato wrong there ;)
eh, its tomato Alois
…Slow news day at the Journal?
I wonder what their position is on the Galway bypass?
Please don’t hold back.
That means their Irish women there or does it? If they defeat IS then the Kurds might then create their own state and more power for them to do that?
when i read that headline I died a little inside.
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