We reprint statements and interviews with Syrian socialists about the prospects for working class resistance and building a new left in the midst of rising sectarian tensions and violence.
Three months after the downfall of dictator Bashar al-Assad, Syria stands on the brink of the sectarian civil war reigniting.
Syria is facing one of its most “dangerous moments” since the fall of the dictatorship. There were signs of how struggle from below could unite people against those at the top of society. But now we are seeing thousands killed in a deadly cycle of armed clashes between groups affiliated with the old regime and the new regime’s security forces. But there is hope amidst the horror, and still space to organize for liberation.
Below we look at the recent events and their background, link to a statement by the Revolutionary Left current in Syria, and republish a short interview by Ann Alexander and Khalid Sidahmed with two Syrian activists on workers’ struggles and building a new left.
In the last weeks, the new regime run by HTS, an armed Islamist group that toppled Assad in December, unleashed a wave of sectarian murders on the north western coastal region. They targeted the Alawite religious minority, which the Assad family came from.
“Perpetrators raided houses, asking residents whether they were Alawite or Sunni before proceeding to either kill or spare them accordingly,” according to United Nations investigations.
And these massacres followed attacks by gunmen reportedly connected with the Assad regime’s security forces on hospitals in Latakia, Tartus and Baniyas.
Syria’s history of revolution and counter-revolution is key to understanding what’s taking place today.
The new regime’s leaders, including Ahmed al-Sharaa, promised an inquiry into the killings. But many of the armed groups affiliated with HTS see sectarian incitement as an essential recruitment strategy.
This mirrors the tactics that the Assad regime adopted 14 years ago. Assad had ruled over Syria since 2000 when he took over from his father.
But in March and April 2011, Syrians rose up in their tens of thousands to demand freedom from this dictatorship.
In response, Assad launched a sectarian civil war to undermine unity and drown that popular revolution in blood.
More than a decade of war followed as imperialist powers and armed groups tore the country apart.
But there is hope amid the horrors after the fall of Assad. Demonstrations took place in Damascus and Suwayda against sectarianism. And there has already been resistance to the new government pushing through neoliberal reforms such as privatisation and mass layoffs.
Workers and the poor organizing across sectarian lines against those at the top show a different way forward.
“Statement to the Great Syrian People: Stop the Beast of Sectarian Massacres Before It’s Too Late”
On March 7 the Revolutionary Left Current in Syria released a statement against the violence, noting that the killing of civilians and innocents has been justified by calling them “remnants” of the old regime. They continue “The former regime of the Assad family bears the greatest responsibility for the nightmare that the country has reached. But the new authorities also bear a great responsibility through the chaos of their sectarian armed groups, their persecution of religious minorities, and their suppression of civilians, especially on the Syrian coast.” Available here, in Arabic, English, and Kurdish.
Building a New Left
Radical left activists are trying to build broader alliances. They were working with wider forces on the left and among human rights, women’s and youth organizations.
The Revolutionary Left Current (RLC), other left wing parties and the Association for the Victims of Forced Disappearance signed a statement in January.
It called for unity under the slogan, “No to violence, no to sectarianism, no to foreign intervention.”
It warned against attempts to cover up sectarian repression and personal score-settling under the cover of “removing old regime elements.”
And it stressed the crucial role played by independent political parties, trade unions and civil society organizations in discussions about the future.
There are many dangers, not least the threat of more foreign military intervention. It comes from many quarters, including Turkish troops in the north of Syria and the large US bases in the north east.
Israel and Resistance
Israel has expanded its military control in the south of the country. But this has prompted a new wave of resistance and protests in solidarity with Syrians and Palestinians under Israeli occupation.
Adil, a Syrian socialist activist in the RLC, said, “The Palestinian cause is an issue for the whole world, but it especially concerns the Arab nation and Syria.
“The imperialist Israeli enemy is a living example of the failure of the tyrannical capitalist system.
“Given Israel’s history of violations, it is not likely that its ambitions will be satisfied by what it has done to the Palestinians.
“This is clear now from the advance of the Israeli army into Syrian territory and its construction of military bases there.
“The Palestinian cause must be at the center of attention for everyone in Syria, as Israel is a threat to the whole Arab world and a violation of the rights of our Palestinian brothers.”
RLC activists are organizing to build a bigger and better-rooted revolutionary socialist organization within the broader revival of democratic and left wing movements in Syria.
The RLC is a socialist party which organized in secret across Syria and in exile during Assad’s rule. One of the challenges facing socialist activists is the vacuum created by the old regime’s suppression of all forms of independent political activity. Uniting the small forces of the left and fighting on the issues which matter to ordinary people will be crucial in the coming months and years.
“Our Liberation Must Be Complete”
Adil says, “The left must aim to build a mass base among the Syrian people in the majority of provinces.
“It has to concentrate on local communities who are usually forgotten and work to spread left wing ideas which relate to the current situation.
“We need to work on attracting as many members as possible and forming fronts with different parties to work on the common goals of the Syrian left.”
Adil and fellow RLC activists Hana and Sami agree on the importance of unity and the need to build a presence in the streets. “Firstly, we have to work with all segments of the people across the whole of Syrian territory to organize in the streets and fill the vacuum,” they say.
“We need to raise awareness and counter people’s fears, directing the masses towards sound, effective methods for defending their rights to live in dignity and freedom.”
All three add that resisting Israeli occupation is an integral part of this struggle.
“Our liberation must be complete—liberation from foreign occupation alongside liberation from injustice, oppression and hunger within Syria,” they say.
Interview: Workers are demanding their rights as new leaders push privatization
Samir and Hala, two activists from the Revolutionary Left Current, spoke to Anne Alexander and Khalid Sidahmed about workers’ organizing
Samir
From the very first days, the HTS government chose to adopt a free market economy. Workers’ salaries haven’t been paid for four months now.
There’s been arbitrary dismissal of large numbers of workers without evidence that they’re remnants of the regime. Another method they used to reduce the number of workers is forced leave.
Prices have increased significantly compared to before. They’ve removed subsidies on basic necessities like bread and oil. The groups of workers affected by initially demonstrated individually. Each time a decision was made about a workplace, they would demonstrate with ten or twelve workers in front of it.
Workers saw that these issues were common and that these small demonstrations were ineffective.
They decided to combine these efforts into a unified action across all regions and sectors. The demonstrations were concentrated in front of the General Federation of Trade Unions in each governorate.
On Saturday 15 February this partnership began to take effect and was implemented on the ground. And demonstrations took place in several areas, including Damascus, Aleppo, Latakia, and Sweida.
Under the previous regime, all unions were completely controlled by the government. After the fall of the regime, workers realized their ability to organize and demand their rights.
The structures of these old unions still exist and remain active in organizing discussions and protests. Many of the workers participating in current demonstrations are members of these unions.
But the union leaderships remain unresponsive because the new government simply replaced the old regime’s officials with their own loyalists. Before the fall of Assad during the civil war, some discussions took place within unions, though they never escalated into protests.
Protests were mostly limited to opposition-controlled areas such as the countryside of Aleppo and later Suwayda. In these areas, unions played a more organized role in protests.
We saw participation from professional associations in Suwayda, the Bar Association in opposition-held areas, the Teachers’ Union and the Sanitation Workers’ Union.
These unions had some experience in organizing protests and strikes to demand higher wages, better employment opportunities and other immediate labor issues. But in regime-held areas, such activism was completely absent.
Hala
I feel that one of the roles that unions should be playing now is to address all issues concerning workers. They should not only talk about living conditions, but also about social issues.
We as workers should use the unions as a tool to fight over all issues. Syrian women, especially during the war years, were present everywhere.
Demonstrations by workers that took place on Saturday 15 February included a significant presence of women, even in the independent union that we are now active in.
There are young women activists. I can’t say that anyone has experience in union work in Syria because it hasn’t been tried.
But at least there’s a desire and a drive, and many women are participating everywhere. This is encouraging, honestly.
Perhaps because of the war and because women have worked everywhere, our roles on the ground are practically no different from men’s roles.
Knowing that we are not alone is crucial. The authorities are exploiting the divisions created by the regime, trying to split the working class along sectarian and ethnic lines. Solidarity from comrades outside Syria gives us legitimacy and a sense of unity.
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