Syrian Revolutionary Left Current

Last updated
Syrian Revolutionary Left Current
Arabic: تيار اليسار الثوري في سوريا
French: Courant de la Gauche révolutionnaire en Syrie
Secretary-GeneralGhayath Naisse [1] [2]
FoundedOctober 2011
Headquarters Athens, Greece
Ideology Trotskyism
Revolutionary socialism
Democratic socialism
Marxism [1]
Participatory democracy
Direct democracy
Secularism
International affiliation International Socialist Tendency [3]
Colors  Red
Website
https://revoleftsyria.org

The Syrian Revolutionary Left Current is a leftist political organization that opposed the Ba'athist-led government of Syria. Formed in October 2011, the group supports the uprising against the Syrian government and aims to build a "democratic, civil, and pluralist state" in Syria, while opposing any foreign military intervention in the Syrian Civil War. [1]

Contents

Ideology and history

During the formation of the Syrian Revolutionary Left Current in October 2011, its founding documents stated that it "adopts the major objectives of the Syrian People's Revolution, for freedom, democracy, dignity and social justice, and is committed to engage in mass action to achieve these objectives." It considered that "revolutionary dynamics is about building a democracy from below", and advocated for participatory democracy and direct democracy. The Revolutionary Left Current opposes all forms of foreign military intervention in Syria, including by NATO, by the Arab League, by Israel, and by Turkey. [1]

The Revolutionary Left Current's founding document also outlined a list of goals for the group and for other Syrian opposition groups, which were to overthrow the Syrian government and establish a "Provisional Revolutionary Government", dismantle the "security infrastructure of the state", and election of a Constituent Assembly. [1]

In August 2013, the Syrian Revolutionary Left Current condemned the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and the al-Nusra Front, and amid the Syrian Kurdish–Islamist conflict, it "reaffirmed its commitment" to support self-determination for Kurds in Syria. It also condemned the Syrian National Council for refusing to recognize rights for Kurdish people in Syria. [4]

On 23 September 2014, the group condemned the American-led intervention in Syria which began with airstrikes against ISIL, al-Nusra Front, and Ahrar al-Sham in Syria. [5]

In the spring of 2016, the Syrian Revolutionary Left Current and Greek leftist groups opened 6 centers in Athens, housing 2,400 Syrian refugees. [6]

In September 2016, the Syrian Revolutionary Left Current formed an alliance with the Syrian National Democratic Alliance and the Syrian Democratic Forces on the basis of political decentralization and the establishment of a pluralist democracy in Syria. [7] When the Turkish Armed Forces launched a military operation against the SDF in the Afrin Region on 20 January 2018, the Revolutionary Left Current condemned the operation and announced its support for the SDF in Afrin against Turkey. [8] On 1 May 2019 (International Workers' Day), the Syrian Revolutionary Left Current released a statement condemning the "bourgeois regime" of Syria and Turkey, and blaming the collapse of the Syrian Revolution on the absence of a "revolutionary party". [9]

Publications

Since January 2012, the Revolutionary Left Movement in Syria has published its newspaper, The Front Line, the mouthpiece of the organization, which is considered one of the main channels used by the movement to communicate with the public. The newspaper provides articles and analysis on a variety of topics, including Syrian politics and socio-economic issues. The newspaper reflects the movement's commitment to socialist and revolutionary values, and seeks to present an alternative vision for the Syrian future from a revolutionary socialist point of view. [10]

The newspaper is printed in Syria and distributed in all Syrian governorates, and is published as a pdf version on the website  and on social media. [11]

He has also published a number of pamphlets and books, [12] including: Who are we?,The Syrian Communist Party: Decadence and Splits, The Marxist position on the religious phenomenon, the reactionary reaction and counter-revolution in Syria, the Syrian bourgeoisie and the popular revolution, in order to build the militant socialist left, Ukraine and the imperialism of the twenty-first century.

Armed wing: People's Liberation Faction

People's Liberation Faction
Arabic: فصائل تحرر الشعب
French: Faction de la libération du Peuple
Leaders
Dates of operation18 March 2014 – 26 January 2015
AllegianceSyrian Revolutionary Left Current
Part ofSyrian revolution flag.svg Free Syrian Army [13]
AlliesIn Kobanî: [13]
OpponentsFlag of Syria.svg Syrian Armed Forces

Flag of the Al-Nusra Front.svg Al-Nusra Front

Islamic State flag.svg  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey
Battles and wars Siege of Kobanî [13]

Armed members of the Revolutionary Left Current operating in Syria announced themselves in January 2014. [14] On 18 March 2014, three armed and masked militants announced the formation of the People's Liberation Faction as part of the Syrian Revolutionary Left Current. [15] [16] Fighters of the group were armed with Kalashnikov rifles, PK machine guns, [17] and RPG-7s. [18] The group also used a technical, a mortar, and a DShK heavy machine gun. [19] It cooperated with several local Free Syrian Army-affiliated groups. [13]

On 12 April 2014, a unit in the group attempted to redeploy fighters from the Hama Governorate to support other rebel groups in the Battle of Aleppo, when they were stopped at an al-Nusra Front checkpoint. Clashes then ensued and 3 fighters from the People's Liberation Faction were killed. [20]

Fighters of the group redeployed to Kobanî in order to reinforce the city against an ISIL offensive in September 2014. [13]

In late 2014, due to persecution by "counter-revolutionary forces", the People's Liberation Faction largely suspended its activities in Syria. It officially announced its dissolution on 26 January 2015. [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suqour al-Sham Brigades</span> Rebel organization in the Syrian Civil War

The Suqour al-Sham Brigades, also known as the Falcons of the Levant Brigades, is an armed rebel organisation formed by Ahmed Abu Issa early in the Syrian Civil War to fight against the Syrian Government. It was a member of the Islamic Front and a former unit of the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian Islamic Liberation Front. They have a history of coordinating with Ahrar al-Sham and al-Qaeda's al-Nusra Front, though clashes with the latter broke out in January 2017. In March 2015, the Suqour al-Sham Brigades merged with Ahrar ash-Sham, but left Ahrar al-Sham in September 2016. Also, in September 2016, they joined the Army of Conquest, of which Ahrar al-Sham is also a member. On 25 January 2017, Suqour al-Sham rejoined Ahrar al-Sham, but later became independent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syriac Military Council</span> Assyrian military organisation in Syria

The Syriac Military Council is an Assyrian military organisation in Syria, part of the Syrian Democratic Forces. The establishment of the organisation was announced on 8 January 2013. According to the Syriac Military Council, the goal of the organisation is to stand up for the national rights of and to protect Assyrians in Syria. It operates mostly in the densely populated Assyrian areas of Al-Hasakah Governorate, and is affiliated to the Syriac Union Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurdish Front</span> Syrian Kurdish Rebel Group

The Kurdish Front is a predominantly Kurdish Syrian rebel faction participating in the Syrian Civil War.

The inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War has continued throughout the Syrian Civil War as factions of the Syrian opposition and Free Syrian Army have fought each other, with shifting alliances among various Islamist factions such as Al-Nusra Front, Ahrar al-Sham, Jaysh al-Islam and the Islamic Front.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hazzm Movement</span> Alliance of Syrian rebel groups

The Hazzm Movement was an alliance of Syrian rebel groups affiliated with the Free Syrian Army in northwestern Syria that existed from 25 January 2014 until 1 March 2015, when many of them dissolved into the Levant Front. Some other members joined the Army of Revolutionaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sham Legion</span> Syrian Rebel Group

The Sham Legion is an alliance of Sunni Islamist rebel groups formed in March 2014, during the Syrian Civil War. The alliance was formed from 19 different groups, some of which were previously affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood of Syria and the Shields of the Revolution Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liwa Ahrar Souriya</span> Group of Syrian rebel fighters

The Free Men of Syria Brigade or the Free Syrian Brigade is a group of Syrian rebel fighters affiliated with the Free Syrian Army active during the Syrian civil war, mainly around Aleppo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement</span> Former Sunni Islamist rebel group involved in the Syrian Civil War

The Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement was a Sunni Islamist rebel group involved in the Syrian Civil War. In 2014, it was reportedly one of the most influential factions in Aleppo, especially the Western Aleppo countryside. Between 2014 and 2015, it was part of the Syrian Revolutionary Command Council and recipient of U.S.-made BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles. The Movement made multiple attempts to merge with the larger Islamist rebel group Ahrar al-Sham but were refused by Ahrar al-Sham's leadership. The Zenki Movement also made attempts to merge with other Islamist factions, Jaysh al-Islam and the Sham Legion. However, all merging efforts with these groups failed, leading to the Zenki Movement joining the Salafi Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in 2017. But after a few months the group left HTS and within a year went to war with HTS by joining the Turkish-backed Syrian Liberation Front alongside Ahrar al-Sham on 18 February 2018. After a series of clashes in early 2019 Al Zenki were largely defeated by HTS, expelled to Afrin and absorbed in the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army of Revolutionaries</span> Multi-ethnic armed Syrian rebel coalition

The Army of Revolutionaries, also known as Jaysh al-Thuwar, is a multi-ethnic armed Syrian rebel coalition that is allied with the primarily Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and participating in the Syrian Civil War as part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Freedom Battalion</span> Revolutionary pro-Kurdish armed group

The International Freedom Battalion, commonly abbreviated as IFB or EÖT, is a revolutionary socialist armed group consisting of leftist foreign fighters fighting for the People's Defense Units in the Syrian Civil War in support of the Rojava Revolution and against the Turkish Armed Forces, the Syrian National Army, and Islamic State. The formation of the IFB was announced in June 2015 in Ras al-Ayn. Inspiration for the group came from the International Brigades of the Spanish Civil War. The political ideologies of the fighters include anarchism, Marxism–Leninism, Hoxhaism, Maoism, and anarcho-communism.

Relations between the People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) are unclear and varied among the different FSA factions. Both are opposed to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. However, several clashes between the two have taken place. Under pressure from the United States, some FSA groups coordinate with the YPG to battle ISIL under the name of the Syrian Democratic Forces, although some other FSA groups remained in conflict with the YPG and the SDF, including FSA groups in the SDF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Descendants of Saladin Brigade</span> Free Syrian Army Unit

The Descendants of Saladin Brigade was a Free Syrian Army group active in the northern Aleppo Governorate. The group was supported by Turkey and was initially funded and armed by the United States, mainly fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant but also opposing the Syrian government and the Democratic Union Party's (PYD) affiliates such as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The brigade was largely disbanded by the Turkish Army in 2017, following disagreements over the participation in a planned Turkish-led offensive against Afrin Canton, although a small faction within the group remained active and participated in the offensive since January 2018.

The Peoples' United Revolutionary Movement or HBDH is a far-left self-declared alliance of ten mostly Kurdish leftist, revolutionary socialist, and communist organizations in Turkey. The alliance was declared on March 12, 2016, with the goal of overthrowing the elected Turkish government. Since then, it has claimed responsibility for several attacks on security personnel in Turkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syrian National Army</span> Coalition of armed Syrian opposition groups

The Syrian National Army, also known as the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (TFSA), is a coalition of armed Syrian opposition groups that participates in the Syrian civil war. Comprising various rebel factions that emerged at the start of the war in July 2011, it was officially established in 2017 under the auspices of Turkey, which provides funding, training, and military support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Democratic Brigade</span> Free Syrian Army unit

The Northern Democratic Brigade is a Free Syrian Army unit that is closely allied to the Syrian Kurdish YPG and YPJ in Afrin Region since 2014. Led by Absi Taha, Alexander Khalil, and Alexander Alaa, it also joined the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in November 2015. The initial members of the group originated from Jabal Zawiya in Idlib, and it has recruited Arabs from Idlib, Aleppo, and other cities in northern Syria since allying with the YPG. Since joining the SDF, the unit has begun to operate across much of northern and eastern Syria, participating in operations against anti-SDF Syrian opposition factions, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the Turkish Armed Forces, and the Syrian National Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azadî Battalion</span> Kurdish Free Syrian Army Unit

The Azadî Battalion, also known as the Elite Battalion, is a Kurdish unit affiliated with the Free Syrian Army and reportedly loyal to Mustafa Cumma's Kurdish Freedom Party. Founded in 2012 and led by Azad Shabo, the Azadî Battalion is opposed to the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and fights on the side of Turkey in the Syrian Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saladin Ayubi Brigade</span> Kurdish Free Syrian Army Unit

The Saladin Ayubi Brigade was a mainly-Syrian Kurdish armed rebel group that fought in the Syrian Civil War as part of the Free Syrian Army. Formed in May 2012 and named after the early Kurdish Muslim leader Saladin, the group was led by defected Syrian Army Captain Bewar Mustafa and fought against Syrian government forces in and around the city of Aleppo. It was also strongly opposed to the Kurdish-led Democratic Union Party (PYD), and have clashed with the PYD-affiliated People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) several times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conquest Brigade</span> Armed Islamist insurgent group in Syria

The Conquest Brigade, also known as Battalion of Conquest or al-Fatah Brigade, is a Sunni Islamist Free Syrian Army group that takes part in the Syrian Civil War. One of the largest rebel factions active in Aleppo Governorate during the early civil war, the militia played a major part in the fighting for Aleppo city and other battles. As result of conflicts with government forces and later the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant it declined after 2013.The Conquest Brigade became part of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (TFSA) in 2016, also engaging in fighting with the Syrian Democratic Forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leon Sedov Brigade</span> Trotskyist militant group participating in the Syrian civil war

The Leon Sedov Brigade was a Syrian Third camp Trotskyist militant group in the area of Aleppo. Although its founders were Argentinian foreign fighters, the overwhelming majority of its members were local industrial workers and, due to its stance against foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war, was solely funded by members' wages and ran by officers elected by them. It is named for Leon Sedov, the first son of Leon Trotsky. It is the military wing of the International Leninist Trotskyist Fraction and thus shares its basic positions of opposing both Salafi jihadist groups and pro-Western liberal Free Syrian Army factions as counter-revolutionary, and all foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war as imperialist.

Anarchism in Syria emerged as a largely disorganized movement during the authoritarian rule of the Assad government, but following the initiation of the Arab Spring has been a particularly notable factor in the Rojava conflict during the civil uprising phase of the Syrian civil war.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Ghayath Naisse (6 November 2011). "Syria's Revolutionary Left: Challenges of a Transitional Phase". Al-Akhbar (Lebanon) . Archived from the original on 22 August 2017.
  2. "Dr.. Ghayath Naisse: "The resistance of Afrin is against tyrants and tyranny."". Syrian National Democratic Alliance . 31 January 2018. Archived from the original on 25 March 2018.
  3. Gilbert Achcar and Alex Callinicos (31 March 2022). "Ukraine and anti-imperialism: an exchange". Alliance for Workers' Liberty .
  4. Joseph Daher (23 August 2013). "Imperialism, sectarianism and Syria's revolution". Solidarity.
  5. "Revolutionary Left Movement in Syria: position around the bombings of the International Coalition led by the USA". Syria Freedom Forever. 23 September 2014.
  6. Molly Crabapple (7 March 2017). "How Greece Became the EU's Prison for Refugees". VICE .
  7. "A joint statement to the public on the Declaration of Uniting Efforts". 29 September 2016. Archived from the original on 4 November 2016.
  8. "'Long live the struggle of Afrin against occupiers': Syrian Revolutionary Left Current". The Region. 23 January 2018.
  9. ""النظام البرجوازي كان أشد قسوة على مناطق العمال والكادحين"". Hawar News Agency. 1 May 2019.
  10. feAdVw8fgi (2022-07-25). "تيار "اليسار الثوري السوري" يستعد لافتتاح مكتب له في شمال وشرق سوريا". فضائية روناهي (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-12-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. "جريدة الخط الأمامي". revoleftsyria.org (in Arabic). 2023-11-20. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  12. "كراسات". revoleftsyria.org (in Arabic). 2023-11-20. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Syria: The Popular Liberation Factions (FLP)". Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières. 1 October 2014. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017.
  14. "The Revolutionary Left Movement in Syria: Always with the masses in their struggle for liberation". Syria Freedom Forever. 31 January 2014.
  15. "Revolutionary Left Current in Syria: Establishment of the "People's Liberation Faction" to commemorate the third anniversary of the Syrian Revolution". Syria Freedom Forever. 18 March 2014.
  16. "Declaration of leftist "liberation groups" factions". Radio Rozana. 18 March 2014.
  17. "Statement of the People's Liberation Faction, Revolutionary Left Current in Syria". Syria Freedom Forever. 20 July 2014.
  18. "فصائل تحرر الشعب". Syria Freedom Forever. 21 March 2014.
  19. "أبطال فصائل تحرر الشعب". Syrian Revolutionary Left Current. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014.
  20. "Treacherous aggression of the forces of the counter-revolution against the fighters of the People's Liberation Faction". Syria Freedom Forever. 14 April 2014.
  21. "Statement: People's Liberation Faction". Syria Freedom Forever. 26 January 2015.

See also