Jacques Babel and Joseph Daher report on the campaigns to mark the third anniversary of the start of the Syrian revolution, both within and outside Syria. They argue that international solidarity is essential, and as yet, too limited.
To mark the third anniversary of the start of their uprising, Syrian revolutionaries reminded the world that their uprising is part of the wider revolutionary process of the region by giving Friday 14 March the slogan: “This is a popular revolution, not a civil war!”
Despite the killings and massive destruction caused by the Assad regime on the one hand, and the oppression by Islamic reactionary forces on the other, the Syrian people continues to struggle for its initial objectives: democracy, social justice and the rejection of sectarianism.
There were popular demonstrations throughout Syria on 14 March, while various special events were organised in the liberated areas to celebrate the third anniversary of the revolution.
Three years of revolution
Activists in Aleppo distributed flyers in areas under the control of the regime. These stated that the revolution will continue until victory, until the downfall of the regime. The campaign was called, “We resist despite the violence of the regime.” The activists of this campaign also emphasised the continued use of peaceful means of resistance in the revolution.
In the free territories of Aleppo, activists organised an exhibition of pictures and of drawings by children in memory of the martyrs of the revolution. They also put on a play about the development of the revolution. The pictures of the martyrs of the revolution were placed around one of the squares. The walls of various neighbourhoods are covered with murals on the theme, “The wall tells the story of the revolution”.
In the region of Idlib, demonstrators sang songs from the beginning of the revolution. The walls of the city were painted with the slogans of the revolution. There was also a theatre performance here.
The Union of Free Syrian Students (UFSS) launched a new campaign called: “Pain and Hope: The Revolution Continues”. There were also demonstrations in many cities, including Amouda, Efrin, and Qamichlo to commemorate ten years since the start oof Kurdish Intifada on 12 March 2014.
On 8 March, the group “Syrian Women Initiative”, took action to call for a democratic and pluralist state in which the rights of women are guaranteed.
The murderous regime and its allies
The Syrian revolution is not dead, but its enemies grow stronger.
The first enemy is undoubtedly the killing machine of the regime, whose crimes against humanity continue to be highlighted: recently, horrific images of 11,000 tortured prisoners in Damascus prisons before August 2013 were made public… We should remember that only the political, military and economic assistance of its allies – Russia, Iran, Hezbollah and other sectarian militias – allow Assad’s regime to maintain itself and to regain ground military, most recently with the seizure of the strategic city of Yabroud.
The second enemy is the reactionary Islamist forces. These are increasing their influence and want an Islamic state. They are financially supported by the Gulf monarchical States in total opposition to the goals of the revolution. They also attack revolutionary activists and use sectarianism to divide Syrians, just as the Assad regime itself does.
Meanwhile, the last conference in Geneva revealed the objectives of the imperialist and regional powers. Having re-admitted Assad as an interlocutor for the control of chemical weapons, they aim to reach an agreement on a negotiated political transition (a “Yemeni” solution) that would maintain the structure of the regime, as it is in the best interests of the so-called “War on Terror”.
But the Syrian revolutionaries know that the regime will not accept anything other than total victory, and they refuse to submit. This was symbolized with a banner held on 14 March 2014, which reads: “Three years of hunger and suffering, but three years of pride and dignity.”
“For an internationalist solidarity”!
In this context, international popular mobilisation is more essential than ever. So, on Saturday 15 March 2014, there were many solidarity initiatives with the uprising and against the repression of the Syrian people in cities across France, Europe and the world. These were essential but still too small and few in number. These initiatives absolutely must be consolidated.
In this context, the Revolutionary Left Current in Syria, despite its limited resources, continues its struggle alongside the revolutionary people both on a civil and military level. It established the “People’s Liberation Faction” to join the military resistance, and launched a “call to all the leftist and socialist forces in the region and in the world to affirm clearly and firmly their highest degree of international solidarity, because the fate of our popular revolution will decide the fate of the revolutionary processes in the region, and even beyond its borders.”
Further Reading: The Revolutionary Left Current in Syria: Establishment of the “People’s Liberation Faction” to commemorate the third anniversary of the Syrian Revolution
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Many thanks to Joseph Daher for translating this article from the original French and allowing us to re-publish it. The link to the original article can be found here.
