Since March 2011, millions of Syrians have been struggling in a revolution for dignity and freedom. Young and old, woman and men, members of different ethnic groups and religious persuasions have rallied through protests and songs and chants facing the regime’s brutal crackdown, and continue to resist despite the most murderous of conditions.
Assad’s regime has unleashed a violent rampage against the Syrians, launching Scud missiles, cluster bombs, incendiary munitions, and aerial bombardments on his own people. The regime has detained and tortured tens of thousands and committed untold massacres. It has refused to step down and polarized communities through strategic acts of violence, sowing the seeds of sectarian division.
Abandoned by world powers, the Syrian revolution has confronted a scenario where states that were allegedly friends of the Arabs, such as Venezuela, Russia, China, and Iran have stood in support of the slaughter of the people, while those that never supported democracy or independence, especially the US and their Gulf allies, pay lip-service to the toppling of Assad while continuously betray the popular movement. Their intervention tries to crush and subvert the uprising, while selling illusions and deceptive lies.
The need for a truly internationalist response
Acting in solidarity with the revolution, a group of Syrian, Arab, and international activists launched “The Campaign of Global Solidarity with the Syrian Revolution” at the World Social Forum in Tunis last month to create an open and diverse platform to support the Syrian revolution.
The Forum was an opportunity to create organic relationships with progressive intellectuals and social movements. In addition, it was an important moment to re-inscribe the Syrian revolution in a larger framework of popular struggles against oppression and authoritarianism.
It was an occasion to reassert the Syrian people’s right to self-defense and resistance against despotism and dictatorship.
A Global day of solidarity with the Syrian Revolution
The campaign calls for a day of Solidarity on May 31st during which groups in various cities around the world will organize protests, cultural events, and other symbolic actions in public squares and in front of Syrian embassies as well as on-line. Groups based in different countries will choose the most effective strategies to support the Syrian revolution reminding the world that:
– The massacre of the Syrian people must stop now!
– Assad must step down and be brought to justice.
– All Countries or groups must end all financial and military support to the Syrian Regime.
– All Syrian regime embassies must be closed down. No complicity with the Assad regime in any way.
– The Syrian representative must be expelled from the United Nations
– Aid must be sent to all Syrian refugees and internally displaced.
How can you take part in the global day of action supporting the Syrian people?
To take part in the Global Day of Solidarity, all you have to do is send an email to syriasolidarity2013@gmail.com, telling us your country and city, the activity you plan on doing, and how the Global Solidarity Movement can help you with solidarity material – We have prepared a kit with Films, Stencils, reports on human rights violations links to different local coordenation comites and concils to support the activists.
In case more than one city plans on having activities, we also intend no putting different activists in contact. All activities will be posted on our facebook page.
As mentioned before, we suggest people to be as creative as possible, organize protests, cultural events, and other symbolic actions in public squares and in front of Syrian embassies.
For those who seek to engage in fund raising activities, the facebook page could also be used as a platform where by different project proposals could be put up, and people who wish to send money can be directly linked with Syrians working inside and outside Syria on projects of different kinds: ranging from Media, humanitarian aid, Local Councils, administrative support, and otherwise.
See you May 31th!
