Hamas's Ghosts

„Hama haunts us Syrians; Hama shaped our fear. Every Syrian knows the story of Hama; every Syrian learned the lesson of Hama. In 1982, when the regime fought the Muslim Brotherhood, they shelled Hama, destroying large parts of the city and killing over ten thousand civilians, according to Amnesty International. (Other estimates are even higher.) The message was simple: This is what happens when you defy us. That was the lesson, and every Syrian seemed to abide by it for almost three decades. Hardly anyone objected.

But Hama reshaped us, earlier last month, when an estimated five hundred thousand of the eight hundred thousand people living there took to Al-Assi Square to chant for freedom and call for an end to the Assad regime. It was the biggest protest in Syria so far, the protest that dazzled Syria and the world, and convinced those who still had doubts that change must be coming in Syria. For the next month, the Army surrounded the city, and every Friday—and almost every night—the crowds chanted for freedom peacefully.

Then, last week, the Army moved in, and invaded Hama. On August 3rd, communication with the city cut. Activists said that the city was witnessing heavy shooting and shelling. Syrian authorities took local journalists and the Turkish ambassador to Hama on Wednesday to prove they had restored peace to a city that was crawling with armed groups. However, the expedition was tightly controlled by the authorities, and all that could be seen in the scarce footage from there were burnt buildings and crushed cars.”