Inside the Syrian Uprising

With the brutal crackdown on protesters in Syria nearing its eight month, Abou Farouk, a Homs-based political activist, talks about the uprising and the government’s response. The estimated civilian death-toll in the conflict now exceeds 3,000, with more than 100 reported dead in the last 10 days, mainly in Homs.

Describe an average day in Homs during the uprising.

From the start of the uprising, the security forces, with the shabiha state thugs, usually storm a neighbourhood in the city and arrest, loot and destroy property. Today, October 14, at 6am they stormed the Al-Khaldiyeh neighbourhood. Word usually gets around first, from other activists in other neighbourhoods who spot buses full of shabiha and security personal. Then people try and barricade themselves or escape, but those who are unfortunate, get beaten up, arrested and then taken to a prison.

At the beginning, they only went after those who were active demonstrators, but now they regard anyone from cities such as Homs, Hama and many others to be a target. So after the early-morning raid, they set up road blocks and fire at people who leave their homes.

This has been the pattern for many months, and it has made it hard for people to go out and buy basics like, flour, milk and bread. Families send their children to buy groceries for fear of arrests, but even children are targeted, like you can see from videos of arrests and torture.

The latest campaign on Homs has been brutal and only serves to strengthen us further in our resolve to see this through. For the last two weeks, we have not had water, electricity, phone lines and internet.

The rest of the day is picking up the pieces following their raids, and small demonstrations in neighbouring districts take place.

When these people attack, they have no mercy, they strip women and beat them and their children. Men just get taken away, beaten and humiliated on the streets.

How did you and the rest of the activists feel when you saw Libyan rebel soldiers raise the Syrian flag when they entered Sirte?

We are one people, the Arabs are one people.. We know our goals and I am sure we will both be successful. They have struggled like we have and we appreciate the gesture – one can see Libyan flags in demonstrations across Syria in the last few days. The Arabs will all get rid of their dictators and have a democracy based on civil law.

What is the role of the Free Syrian Army, FSA, in Homs, and to what do you attribute the intensity of violence against Homs in the last few months?

There are over two million people in the city, and you can say that all of them want Bashar al-Assad to go. They know our resolve and they are trying to crush us, but it isn’t working. In other cities, you can see the overwhelming majority want change, but in cities like ours in this regional belt it’s everyone who wants change.

The regime attacked Homs with tanks and planes because of the large size of the population, and they know our goals of reaching and attaining a democracy and a civil society. Our aim is to break down the system and bring down the government, and they realise that this is a key city - hence the brutality we have witnessed.

The FSA’s sole role is to protect the demonstrators and repel government security forces. More recently, they have become more active in attacking and ambushing security forces.

We don’t have much contact with them because we can be infiltrated by the security services, so any direct contact with the FSA could compromise their position. It’s very dangerous for the FSA and they live on the edge of death.

You can look at it like this: it’s a three-pronged campaign, on the one hand you have us demonstrating, the Syrian National Council, SNC, lobbying internationally and the FSA protecting the demonstrators.

How do you explain the large numbers of teenagers and school children in demonstrations?

The simple answer is demography. The majority of Arab countries have young populations, and Syria has the youngest, with 60 per cent of the population between the ages of 16 to 26.

It is those young people who have never experienced democracy or seen it at all - they want it, even if it means dying for it.

Would you pick up arms if the SNC fails to secure a no-fly zone?

Giving weapons to civilians is not an option and the revolution would lose its credibility. Once we pick up arms, it means death to all. The FSA are the only ones that should carry weapons.

What is the way forward?

Firstly, as political activists we have to continue with our demonstrations, and the SNC will have to work hard internationally to gain a no-fly zone in order for us and the FSA to take over and achieve mass defections from the army.

There are thousands who have been arrested and we don’t know their whereabouts from the start of the demonstrations in mid-March. We need those released.

We also require a clearer political programme from the SNC, but on the ground, the people are desperate for protection.

Salam Hafez is IWPR’s Iraq editor.