Syrian protesters take to Sydney streets
On Sunday, May 8, Hyde Park’s Archibald Fountain bore silent witness to yet another display of community activism as local pro-democracy supporters stood in solidarity with those in Syria, who have endured the wrath of their government after joining the wave of uprisings across the Middle East, demanding a transformation of the debilitating cycle of poverty and political corruption that has engulfed the region.
The crowd was incensed by the loss of approximately 1000 civilians, killed by the Syrian security forces since protests erupted in March. But all chatter subsided as the group hushed to hear the tiny speaker who had mounted the milk crate at the forefront of the action.
“Free Syria. Free Syria,” the child quietly piped.
The protesters, invariably cloaked or painted in Syrian and Australian flags, chanted their approval. The demands of the activists were simple, “Down Bashir, Free Syria of Your Filth”, and “Free Syria, Free Iran, Free the Middle East”. A speaker for the Canterbury-Bankstown Peace Group described the gathering as a confrontation to Basher al-Assad, who has ruled Syria for over a decade following the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, whose 29 year regime set a precedent for monstrosity in orchestrating the slaughter of thousands in the 1982 Hama massacre.
The sickening effects of al-Assad Junior’s trigger happy approach to dissent cut close to home for Fatima, a young mother and Greenacre born resident who told the City Hub of the anguish she felt for her grandparents and extended family who reside in the south-western city of Dara’a. It is the unofficial heartland of Syria’s democratic movement and until recently has been held under siege by the military. Fatima said she had not been able to contact her family for days as security forces rammed through Dara’a with tanks, bombing not only water supplies, but electricity and mobile networks. “There are corpses piled in the streets,” Fatima described. “They have taken the baby formula from shops. I believe they are eliminating their own race and the United States is ignoring what is going on.”
Safiea, a young woman from Bankstown, shared Fatima’s concerns, which appeared vindicated in the photographs of the dead and bloodied bodies of infants, inexplicably blown apart by Syrian government forces.
“Assad’s government will throw your lifeless body away without hesitation,” Safiea assured the Hub. “We are extremely blessed in Australia, to walk around and not be shot.”
