Internationalist Support Fund

First of all: We have decided to postpone our FireFund campaign for now.
During this short text we'll give you some more information on why we've made this decision, how this decision influences our work and the people we work to support, and when we'll be ready to start again.

Why postpone the fundraiser?

When we launched the fundraiser, the world still seemed to function in its (somewhat) normal way. We did not predict a complete and prolonged shut-down, and though we discussed the COVID-19 situation as a concern, we still reached a consensus that reaching our goal was within reach. At that time the borders were open, people were still allowed to meet, and none of our planned events seemed to be affected. Furthermore we've continuously discussed the importance of hosting events to raise awareness and at the same time create the opportunity to contribute financially to the fundraiser.

As the situation developed, and the shutdowns became both more serious and spread to more places, it started to affect our ability to continue the fundraiser. When the reality of us being completely unable to do any physical events hit us, we did a serious effort to try to reach out to our networks to see if it was possible to get help from other places. The answer was the same everywhere. No-one was able to actually host any events, and comrades everywhere were understandably focused on supporting their local movements and covering the damage done by the shutdowns.

Last week we released an article about the status of the fundraiser and how we were affected by the situation. We decided to put in one last effort to try to continue to reach our goal, but given the circumstances we have been unable to ensure the success of the fundraiser - for now

How does the current situation affect our work?

First of all some of the local groups in Copenhagen are working to collect a small amount of money to ensure that comrades in immediate need of support can still receive the help they need. Most of the money that have already been pledged to the fundraiser came from people we are in contact with through our networks, which means that the money are not lost by postponing the campaign.

We are working on a way for everybody to be able to donate money directly to the campaign, until the FireFund campaign is back on track. We will work hard to make sure that the comrades we have already spoken to, will still receive the money they need, despite the current situation.

Due to the European borders being closed, and most airlines canceling planes we do not expect people to return during the next weeks. This means that the urgent need for financial solidarity is also diminished, until the point where we hope to also succeed with our fundraiser.

How does the current situation affect our work?

We don't have an exact date, as we simply don't know when the quarantines and social lock-downs will be lifted. We have decided to wait until it's possible to make physical events again, which means that it's tied up to the development of the shutdowns. Our decision is to relaunch the fundraiser as soon as we are able to. Though the fundraiser is postponed, we haven't stopped working - in any way.
We will continue to work and make preparations, so that we can relaunch immediately when possible.

Stay tuned!

We will continue updating ABC Copenhagen's FB-page, as well as the webpage abc-kbh.dk/isf. Help us spread all information, and feel free to write us on [email protected] if you have ideas, questions or just need someone to write to during the lock-downs.

We intend to use Konfront.dk for more important updates, but all content will also be uploaded to abc-kbh.dk/ISF.

Love and solidarity
Internationalist Support Fund

In the last decade we have seen a rise of direct internationalism, with hundreds of comrades leaving their homes to join the movements and communes of liberation around the world. Many comrades, who are returning now, have faced the realities of war, and many are now returning to uncertain situations.

The decision to leave is often connected with great costs – comrades are leaving their friends, families, and home, often with the threat of repression or worse looming in the background.

Besides these costs, there are large economic expenses to be covered – people leave their jobs, homes, and safety networks, and there are often lots of practical and logistical expenses connected with travels back home.

This campaign seeks to organize practical solidarity with internationalist comrades – we are funding money to support comrades in different ways, as a means to reduce the cost of internationalism collectively. The money collected from this first fundraiser will be put towards supporting internationalist comrades returning from Rojava.

The ISF is a part of the ABC Copenhagen structure, but we organize this campaign independently.

The ISF is a part of the ABC Copenhagen structure, but we organize this campaign independently.
The organizers come from different backgrounds, but are mainly based in Copenhagen at the moment.
We are all experienced activists and have decided to join our efforts in this campaign, as we see a great need for financial international solidarity.
Especially concerning comrades who have already returned from Rojava or will return in the coming months.

We have decided to have the campaign continously overlooked by a group of people, otherwise not engaged in the funding and distributing the donations - to ensure that all of your money is being given to right people and in the right ways.