Sectarian violence hits Syria

Labor protests erupt in Syria against unfair layoffs and new poverty policies (Picture: Revolutionary Left)

Syria is facing one of its most “dangerous moments” since the fall of the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad in December.

There was an escalation in sectarian violence last week.

But there have also been signs of how struggle from below could unite people against those at the top of society.

Syrian security forces killed thousands of civilians from the Alawite minority based on the north western coast last Friday and Saturday.

They clashed with fighters loyal the old regime last week, and there was still fighting around the cities of Latakia, Jableh and Baniyas on Sunday.

The Assad family came from the Alawite minority and the regime drew support from it.

The Revolutionary Left in Syria says that “the killing of civilians and innocents is justified by calling them remnants” of the old regime.

In 2012, in response to a popular revolution, the Assad regime launched a sectarian civil war to drown it in blood.

That saw more than a decade of rival imperialist powers and militias tear Syria apart.

HTS—an armed Islamist group that came out of the civil war—overthrew the Assad regime in December.

It is led by Syria’s new president Ahmed al-Sharaa, until recently better known Abu Mohammad al-Jolani.

The Revolutionary Left statement continues, “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.”

The new regime is seeking to strengthen its rule and push through economic changes. 

Syrian’s new economy minister Basil Abdul Hanan says he wants a shift to a “competitive free-market economy”. This means pushing through mass privatisations and public sector layoffs.

His plans already sparked resistance last month. The Middle East and North Africa Solidarity Network reports, “Newly-formed independent workers’ committees in Syria organised demonstrations and vigils across the country.

“They were in protest at the caretaker government’s decision to sack thousands of public sector employees, and the spiralling cost of living which is pushing millions of Syrians deeper into poverty.

“Rallies took place in Damascus, Aleppo, Suwayda, Latakia and Homs on 15 February.

“The protests follow an initiative launched by the Workers’ Association for Democratic Change.”

And there was significant protests against the massacres and sectarianism in the capital Damascus and in Suwayda this week. 

There should be no tears for the fall of sectarian butcher Assad or illusions in the new regime.

Hope lies with struggles from below for democracy and social justice that unite workers and the poor across the sectarian divide.