On Thursday, March 6, tragic events unfolded in the Syrian coastal region, where a General Security patrol was attacked by an armed outlaw group. However, the response, which is typically expected in such situations to end armed confrontations, was excessive. It not only involved confronting the armed group by the General Security Forces but also escalated into a widespread campaign of sectarian mobilization and calls for ‘general mobilization and jihad’ broadcasted through mosques across Syria. This led to supporters of these calls marching to various coastal areas, where they carried out brutal massacres against hundreds of unarmed civilians, with the criminals themselves documenting these acts in videos.
The consequences of these events can be summarized as follows:
- A sectarian massacre, even when perpetrated by irregular groups, will undermine efforts to lay down arms, initiate genuine national dialogue, and establish a truly unified national state across Syria. It also places civil peace at risk.
- These events have eroded the trust of various social groups in the authorities’ commitment to protecting civilians, especially as the same authorities show leniency toward major criminals and warlords from the former regime whose statuses have been regularized.
- The true danger lies not just in the criminal acts witnessed on the Syrian coast but in the calls for ‘jihad’ made from mosque pulpits in several cities. The response of those with extremist views to these calls highlights a dangerous trend linked to the changing of imams across the country.
- If similar massacres are committed in the post-regime era, they will severely damage the credibility of the current authority in implementing transitional justice and upholding the principles of citizenship, democracy, and human rights.
- The silence of both the imperialist West and their reactionary Arab allies regarding the massacres and criminal acts is a testament to the lack of credibility these nations have concerning civil peace, security, and stability in Syria.
The Syrian Democratic Youth Union, a left-wing organisation, have called out authorities to demonstrate their commitment to protecting unarmed civilians by taking the harshest punitive actions against those responsible for these massacres, whether they were members of the General Security Forces or those mobilized in response to sectarian calls. They have also urged noble patriotic youth to resist the rhetoric of division and avoid falling into sectarian mobilization. It is unacceptable to blame the criminal actions of the former regime on a specific sect, just as it is equally wrong to blame the brutal massacres on another sect. These cruel and cowardly actions contradict the ethical values of religion and the tolerance that the Syrian people hold.
The organisation has appealed to end the sectarian strife, preserve civil peace, and maintain the unity of the country—which, according to them, may be the last opportunity.
