A Comparative Study of the French and Syrian Movements

The events that unfolded in the City of Light, France, saddened all the free people of the world. The angry reactions to the killing of the young migrant of Algerian descent, “Nael” — France’s Bouazizi, may he rest in peace, and may his family find solace — have expanded, affecting many marginalized and impoverished suburbs, in addition to movements in the French capital.

As we, in the Syrian Future Movement (SFM), observe what is happening in France, we are appalled by the statement issued by the Syrian regime’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which hypocritically lectures France on governance, politics, and human rights. Therefore, we have decided to conduct a quick comparative analysis between the French movement and the Syrian movement in general, as well as between the responses of the French and Syrian authorities.

Syrian Movement	French Movement
1- The Syrian movement is the third, following the movements of the 1980s and the Kurdish movement of 2004, with the 2011 uprising continuing to this year. This has led to the collapse of the state, the dispersal of the population, the destruction of Syrian institutions, and the breakdown of social relations, all due to the Assad family’s grip on power and their refusal to implement any political reforms, along with the massacres that have occurred throughout these historical events.	1- A historical pattern has repeated due to the government’s policy of marginalizing the suburbs, along with the failure to integrate migrants into French culture despite the presence of multiple generations. These movements soon ended without affecting the French state or its status, and without any massacres.
2- Cameras and our collective testimony as Syrians have proven the peaceful nature of the 2011 movement. No public or private institution was destroyed; instead, demonstrators protected public and private property. This historic scene reflects the genuine Syrian consciousness and how it was destroyed during the subsequent years of oppression and war.	2- The whole world witnessed frightening and disappointing cases for the free people due to the destructive actions against private and public property by the French movement.
3- The protesters carried flowers and greeted the army and police forces before the intelligence security forces intervened and used live ammunition to disperse the demonstrators.	3- The hostility and negative confrontation between riot control forces on one side and the French demonstrators on the other.
4- From the very first days, the regime used snipers, killings, intelligence security crackdowns, and live ammunition, which fueled the peaceful protests and spread them across the entire Syrian map.	4- Despite all the instances of unrest and vandalism, the French authorities did not resort to using military force; instead, they continued to call for additional civil police and riot control forces.
5- Any Syrian detainee is a potential victim of torture, as revealed by the Caesar photos, within the terrifying security branches. Even a single peaceful chant is enough to warrant torture to death, without the right to appear before a civil court or to appoint a defense lawyer.	5- All detained French individuals do not feel threatened for their lives; rather, they know they will be subjected to civil court proceedings with the freedom to appoint a defense lawyer.
6- Bashar al-Assad accused the protesters of being infiltrators and germs from his very first statement, and no security personnel were held accountable, including the criminal Brigadier General Atef Najeeb, who played a key role in sparking the revolution, and all others who committed crimes against the people.	6- Bashar al-Assad accused the protesters of being infiltrators and germs from his very first statement, and no security personnel were held accountable, including the criminal Brigadier General Atef Najeeb, who was responsible for the revolution, and all others who committed crimes against the people.
7- The regime turned a blind eye to the sectarian and racist policies of the security apparatus, allowing sectarian voices to dominate and ultimately destroy everything in Syria.	7- The regime ignored the sectarian and racist policies of the security apparatus, allowing sectarian voices to dominate and ultimately destroy everything in Syria.
8- The regime relied on sectarian militias from Lebanon and elsewhere from the very beginning, leading to the destruction of state institutions, particularly the military establishment.	8- The regime relied on sectarian militias from Lebanon and elsewhere from the very beginning, leading to the destruction of state institutions, particularly the military establishment.