Syrian Revolution Network
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The Syrian Revolution Network ( ar, شبكة الثورة السورية), originally called the Syrian Revolution 2011 and the Syrian Days of Rage, is a
Syrian opposition The Syrian opposition ( ar, المعارضة السورية ', ) is the political structure represented by the Syrian National Coalition and associated Syrian anti-Assad groups with certain territorial control as an alternative Syrian gover ...
activist organization active in the Syrian Civil War. It was originally a
Facebook page Facebook is a social-network service website launched on February 4, 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg. The following is a list of software and technology features that can be found on the Facebook website and mobile app and are available to users of ...
created by Fida al-Sayed, a
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
activist living in
Eskilstuna Eskilstuna () is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden. The city of Eskilstuna had 67,359 inhabitants in 2015, with a total population of 100,092 inhabitants in Eskilstuna municipality (2014). Eskilstuna has ...
, during the
Arab Spring The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in T ...
in the beginning of 2011. By May 2011, it was considered the most influential Syrian activist organization in the mobilization of protesters against the
Syrian government Government of the Syrian Arab Republic is the union government created by the constitution of Syria where by the president is the head of state and the prime minister is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government. Syr ...
during the Syrian uprising.


History


Creation

In January 2011, during the
Arab Spring The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in T ...
and the Egyptian Revolution, Fida al-Sayed, together with his two younger brothers Mustafa and Yasir, created the page "Syrian Revolution" on
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
. By February, the page gained more than 16,000 followers. It began to call for a "day of rage" in Syria against the government of
Bashar al-Assad Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...
, but was initially not able to mobilize protests in Syria. In an interview on
Nyhetsmorgon ''Nyhetsmorgon'' is a Swedish morning news and talk show that is broadcast every morning on TV4. ''Nyhetsmorgon'' started airing on 14 September 1992. References External links * * TV4 (Sweden) original programming 1992 Swedish tel ...
at
TV4 TV4 or TV 4 may refer to: *TV4 (Poland), a private Polish television station *TV4 (Sweden), a Swedish television network **TV4 Group, owners of the Swedish television station *South African Broadcasting Corporation TV4, a channel operated by the st ...
, Fida explained that when he started the page before the "revolution," people laughed at him and said that there will never be an uprising in Syria, while others supported the initiative. He pointed several times that it is a peaceful movement for
freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...
and
democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...
. He said that they did not have to do any marketing for the page, as the situation in Syria was marketing itself. He said he no longer administrated the page alone, he only founded it, and he now has the help of hundreds of young people in Syria.


Beginning of the Syrian uprising

On 15 March 2011, around 200 protesters gathered in
Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...
to demand reforms and the end to the
state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...
in Syria. The Syrian Revolution 2011 Facebook page, then with more than 41,000 followers, called for the protest. On 18 March 2011, the Syrian Revolution 2011 Facebook page called for a "Day of Dignity" in Syria. After Islamic
Friday prayers In Islam, Friday prayer or Congregational prayer ( ar, صَلَاة ٱلْجُمُعَة, ') is a prayer ('' ṣalāt'') that Muslims hold every Friday, after noon instead of the Zuhr prayer. Muslims ordinarily pray five times each day according ...
, thousands of protesters gathered in 4 cities, notably in
Daraa Daraa ( ar, دَرْعَا, Darʿā, Levantine Arabic: , also Darʿā, Dara’a, Deraa, Dera'a, Dera, Derʿā and Edrei; means "''fortress''", compare Dura-Europos) is a city in southwestern Syria, located about north of the border with Jordan ...
, and called for freedom and democracy and against
corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...
. Government forces violently suppressed all of the protests. In April 2011, the Syrian Revolution 2011 Facebook page had more than 120,000 followers. It once again called for Syrians to take to the streets for Friday protests in Syria. By May, the Facebook page, which had more than 180,000 followers, transformed into a wider network with more than 250,000 members in more than 8
social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
sites. The Syrian Revolution Network became the most influential Syrian opposition organization, influencing and mobilizing thousands of protesters against the Syrian government. In July 2011,
BBC Arabic BBC Arabic ( ar, بي بي سي عربي) may refer to the Literary Arabic language radio station run by the BBC World Service, as well as the BBC's satellite TV channel, and the website that serves as an Literary Arabic language news portal an ...
showed in a special report how Fida run the page from his apartment in
Eskilstuna Eskilstuna () is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden. The city of Eskilstuna had 67,359 inhabitants in 2015, with a total population of 100,092 inhabitants in Eskilstuna municipality (2014). Eskilstuna has ...
. Fida explained that 75% of the administrators who ran the site were from within Syria. Fida also told that it is a difficult process before a video is approved and posted on the site: the event must have been filmed and sent by various independent sources, even sometimes needed to be confirmed by filming the date on a local newspaper, or that some of the protesters show big signs where you can clearly see the week's campaign name.


Escalation and civil war

One of the key media activists affiliated with the Syrian Revolution Network is Moaz al-Shami. Moaz al-Shami was from
Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...
, and during the first 3 years of the Syrian Civil War, he mainly operated in and around Damascus. Battles of the war he covered in Damascus included the Damascus offensive of November 2012 and the Damascus offensive of February 2013, In March 2013,
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was estab ...
considered Moaz al-Shami to be one of the leading opposition activists in Damascus. Some time later in the war, Moaz al-Shami moved to the
Idlib Governorate Idlib Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة ادلب / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Idlib'') is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in northwestern Syria, bordering Turkey's Hatay province to the north, Aleppo Governorate to the east, Hama ...
in northwestern Syria, where he currently operates. Since September 2015, he covered the
Russian military intervention in Syria {{Infobox military conflict , partof = the foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war, and the military intervention against ISIL , image = , image_size = , border = , caption = To ...
, including the bombing of
Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...
and
Idlib ar, إدلبي, Idlibi , coordinates = , elevation_m = 500 , area_code = 23 , geocode = C3871 , blank_name = Climate , blank_info ...
by the
Russian Air Force " Air March" , mascot = , anniversaries = 12 August , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = , decorations = , bat ...
. On 7 March 2016, while he was covering
protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...
in rebel-held towns in Idlib, Moaz was arrested by
al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
's
al-Nusra Front Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra ( ar, جبهة النصرة لأهل الشام, Jabhat an-Nuṣrah li-Ahl ish-Sham lit. ''Front of the Supporters of the People of Syria/the Levant''), known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham ( ar, جبهة فتح ال ...
, part of the Army of Conquest. On 5 December 2016, he was once again arrested by the Army of Conquest after disputes with an Army of Conquest
Sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...
judge in Idlib, but was soon released after. In the beginning of 2017, Moaz al-Shami covered the rise of
Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) (, transliteration: ', "Organization for the Liberation of the Levant" or "Levant Liberation Committee"), commonly referred to as Tahrir al-Sham, is a Sunni Islamist political and armed organisation involved in the ...
in Idlib. On 4 April 2017, he recorded photographs and videos of the
Khan Shaykhun chemical attack The Khan Shaykhun chemical attack took place on 4 April 2017 on the town of Khan Shaykhun in the Idlib Governorate of Syria. The town was reported to have been struck by an airstrike by government forces followed by massive civilian chemical ...
and its aftermath.


See also

*
Local Coordination Committees of Syria The Local Coordination Committees of Syria ( ar, لجان التنسيق المحلية في سوريا: ''LCCSyria'' or ''LCCs'') are a network of local groups that organise and report on protests as part of the Syrian uprising. In June 2011, t ...
*
Syrian Revolution Coordinators Union The Syrian Revolution Coordinators Union or (SYRCU) ( ar, اتحاد تنسيقيات الثورة السورية) is an organization with members from different protest coordination groups from all around Syria. Its members represent their areas ...
*
Syrian Revolution General Commission Syrian Revolution General Commission (SRGC) ( ar, الهيئة العامة للثورة السورية) is a Syrian coalition of 40 Syrian opposition groups to unite their efforts during the Syrian civil war that was announced on 19 August 2011 ...
*
Supreme Council of the Syrian Revolution Supreme Council of the Syrian Revolution (SCSR) ( ar, المجلس الأعلى للثورة السورية) is a Syrian opposition group supporting the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria during the Syrian civil war. It grants lo ...


External links


Syrian Revolution Network
on
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

Syrian Revolution Network
on
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...


References

{{Syrian Civil War Political opposition organizations Syrian democracy movements Syrian opposition Organizations of the Arab Spring Organizations established in 2011 Protests in Syria Organizations of the Syrian civil war