Evacuation Day

The French with their heavy legacy of blood and fire occupied Syria from1920 until 1946. The impact of the French occupation was hard on the Syrians, who had resisted Ottoman control and shed blood to enjoy freedom. The Battle of Maysalun, in which Minister of War Youssef Al-Azma was martyred, came in response to the attempts of the French colonialists to impose their conditions on Syria through the “Gouraud” ultimatum on July 14, 1920, and formed the foundation for resistance to the occupation. French colonialism like all occupations was accompanied by a number of economic, political and military measures that were extremely harsh and led to stifling the spirit of revolution and independence among the people, in addition to absorbing the country’s wealth and plundering its riches.These actions led to many revolutions all across Syria . The first revolution began in 1922 and battles broke out with the French forces, in which aircrafts were used, but the revolutionaries achieved victories that astonished the French. . When the French found that they were losing control in Syria, they recruited tens of thousands of their own soldiers in an attempt to suppress the will of the people
They entered under the protection of armored vehicles and warplanes, which enabled them to suppress the revolution in 1927, and forced the revolutionaries and their leaders to leave for Jordan, Palestine, and Egypt.
Despite the cessation of the armed revolutions, the Syrian people’s political struggle for independence continued, as the Constituent Assembly was formed.
Its first session began in 1928 and was chaired by Hashim Al-Atassi, where it proposed the constitution, which was drafted by a committee headed by the freedom fighter Ibrahim Hanano.
The constitution consisted of 115 articles, the most prominent of which was an article that considered Syria as one indivisible state, and that the system of government was a parliamentary republic.
France rejected the provisions of the Constitution and bargained to cancel them, while the Constituent Assembly refused to cancel any of them.
This in turn prompted the occupation authorities to suspend the association, and in 1930 France made a second attempt to reach a settlement with the Syrian national forces.
They then announced a new constitution consisting of the same articles as the old constitution, with the addition of an article requiring the suspension of implementation of articles affecting the powers of the mandate.
This led the Syrian people to rise up again, and demonstrations and strikes spread throughout the country.
As World War II approached its end, France tried to restore its colonial control over Syria. Unrest broke out throughout Syria, and France faced the protests with excessive force, committing massacres against civilians.

Despite the successive ups and downs of events, the steadfastness of the Syrian people and their unwavering belief in their freedom led to their target. As a culmination of a long struggle full of sacrifices, the last foreign soldier left Syrian territory on April 17, 1946.
After the departure of foreign forces from Syria, the day of their departure became a day of evacuation.A day of Independence
Despite the conditions Syria is going through, the day remains a memory and a history, and is celebrated every spring of the year.
Reem Haddad
Editor-in-Chief