Oula Shihan
The Syrian revolution was part of the Arab Spring, a revolutionary wave across North Africa and the Middle East in 2011. The revolution began with demonstrations demanding the overthrow of the Assad regime. Self-organisation flourished in local coordinating committees and Friday protests. Assad’s regime unleashed brutal repression: sarin gas, barrel bombs, and widespread arrests and torture of political prisoners. This prompted the movement to arm itself in self-defence and form the Free Syrian Army. The brutal violence of the Assad regime and its use of sectarianism also assisted the growth of Islamist militias. Despite this, aspirations of the revolution lived on and sections of the movement continued to call for the overthrow of the regime, and for a Free Syria. These aspirations have re-emerged in anti-regime protests in September 2023. This session will outline why the leftists must support the Syrian revolution and how Syrians resisted the brutal Assad regime.