78th Anniversary of the evacuation of the French colonialists from Syria
In the spring of 1946, the Syrians affirmed their national unity countrywide and managed to kill the seeds of discord that French colonialism had tried to sow, clinging to the achievements which their revolutionary ancestors had made under the leadership of Sheikh Saleh Al-Ali, Ibrahim Hanano, Hassan Al-Kharrat, Muhammad Al-Ayyash and others, leading to the Great Syrian Revolution in 1925, led by Sultan Pasha Al-Atrash, and which spread across various Syrian cities and regions.
In the Battle of Maysloun in 1920, the Syrians had their say in the face of the French colonialists, who tried to impose their conditions on Syria through the “Gouraud” ultimatum on July 14, 1920. That battle formed the base for the resistance movement against the occupation that started in the country’s coastal region, where Sheikh Saleh Al-Ali and a group of revolutionaries fought against the French Mandate forces for a period of time that continued until July 1922.
Sultan Pasha Al-Atrash announced the revolution against the French colonialist in Sweida province in July 1925 through a statement saying: “Oh Syrian Arabs, remember your ancestors, your history, your martyrs, and your national honor. The colonialists have plundered our money, seized the resources of our country, and created harmful barriers in our unified homeland.”
“Oh patriots, hold your arms and let’s fulfill the country’s aspirations and support the sovereignty of the people and the freedom of the nation.”
In the eastern and central regions, Revolutionary groups, led by Muhammad Beik Al-Ayyash and Fawzi al-Qawuqji, also carried out attacks on the French forces in the city of Deir Ezzor and Hama. The revolutionaries dealt painful blows to the French forces in Deir Ezzor, and, as a result, a number of French officers were eliminated in Ain Al-Bu Jum’a area on Deir Ezzor-Raqqa Road but the French warplanes bombed the homes in villages in this area and burned agricultural crops. All members of the Al-Ayyash family were exiled from the city of Deir Ezzor. Mahmoud Al-Ayyash and twelve of his revolutionary companions were sentenced to death, and the sentence was implemented by firing squad in September 1925 in Aleppo. In Hama, in October 1925, Al-Qawuqji and a group of revolutionaries launched battles against the French forces, inflicting heavy losses on them. As usual, the French warplanes stuck residential neighborhoods, but Al-Qawuqji and his companions continued to fight the French forces and achieved victories.
Hassan Al-Kharrat, a leader of a revolution movement, and his fellow revolutionaries in Ghouta area in Damascus countryside carried out night attacks on the French forces in the neighborhoods of Al-Shaghour, Souq Sarujaand Al-Jazmatiya, inflicting heavy losses on them. They managed to destroy all the French buildings in these areas and clashed directly with the French colonial patrols, disarmed them, and detained a number of French soldiers before they took control of the headquarters of the French High Commissioner, Maurice Saray, at Al-Azm Palace in Damascus, the French then proceeded to target the neighborhoods of Damascus with heavy artillery in an unprecedented, brutal manner.
Achieving the evacuation of the French colonialists from Syria has been a starting point for supporting the national struggle and liberation movements throughout the Arab world, and a beacon for a series of revolutions that were launched successively in the Arab region to achieve independence and liberation from various forms of subordination, injustice and exploitation.
Hamda Mustafa