ELIMINATED
- Full name: Olivier François Jean Le Clainche
- Pseudonym: Kendal Breizh
- Alternatives: N/a
- Location: Syria, fmr France
- Affiliation: People’s Defense Units [YPG]
Olivier Le Clainche (°1977) was a far-left activist from Brittany who ended up fighting in Syria. As a young man, he was drawn to anarchism and became an advocate for libertarian municipalism.1 Clainche took an interest in a wide range of leftist causes, from gender equality to the protection of the environment. He was part of the Breton nationalist militant milieu and was involved in so-called “anti-fascist” activity.2 Despite his radicalism, Clainche earned a living as an information technology specialist and boarding school supervisor before working as a journalist for local news outlets in the early-to-mid 2010s.3
Like many anarchists, Clainche fervently supported the Kurdish cause. In July 2017, he joined the People’s Protection Units [YPG; Yekîneyên Parastina Gel] and was given ideological instruction and military training.4 Clainche became a sharpshooter and operated anti-tank rocket systems for the YPG unit comprised of left-wing extremist volunteers from Europe and Turkey.5 He took part in the Kurdish offensives against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant [DaIISh; Dawlat al-Islamiya fi-Iraq wal ash-Sham] in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zour.6 Clainche later fought alongside the Kurds against the Turkish army and its allies around Afrin.7 He was eventually killed in a Turkish airstrike near the town in February 2018.8
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