Yesterday, Shilan Ozcelik, an 18-year-old Brit of Kurdish descent, was given a pre-trial hearing at the Old Bailey in London. Her alleged crime? Leaving Britain to join the YPJ, the women’s Kurdish militia that is fighting the Islamic State in northern Syria. At a time when the world’s political elites continue to dither over the threat of IS, Ozcelik’s courage and resolve should be celebrated, not criminalised. spiked spoke to the Kurdish protesters outside the Old Bailey, to find out more about Ozcelik’s inspiring story.
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