On Friday, July 12, protesters in the city of Azaz, northern Aleppo, closed the buildings of the Syrian Interim Government (SIG) and the Syrian National Coalition in protest against their representatives’ stance on Turkish political statements regarding the restoration of relations with the Syrian regime.

In response, the Interim Government issued a statement warning against what it described as separatist projects aiming to undermine the “revolution’s achievements.” It stated it supports Syrians’ right to peaceful protest and expression.

“They do not represent the people”

Enab Baladi‘s correspondent in Azaz reported that dozens of protesters gathered in the “Future” square in the city center, demanding the rejection of Turkish rapprochement with the Syrian regime and opening borders with it. They emphasized the necessity of the revolution’s institutions’ independence and fighting corruption.

The correspondent said the protesters then moved to the Interim Government and Coalition buildings to close them until further notice, tearing down banners at the main gates.

Ali Yasin, a resident of Azaz and one of the protesters, told Enab Baladi that the demonstrators refuse to be represented by individuals (referring to the Interim Government and Coalition) who were not elected by the people inside Syria. He explained that they reached the Interim Government and Coalition headquarters and closed the buildings because they belong to the people and not to members who do not represent them, pointing out that members of the Interim Government and Coalition remained in their positions for a long time without making any contributions to meet the people’s demands.

He mentioned that the protest was entirely peaceful, with no destruction of any kind, and that protecting the institutions is the responsibility of every “honest and noble” person.

Protesters inside the Syrian National Coalition building in Azaz, northern Aleppo – July 12, 2024 (Enab Baladi/Dayan Junpaz)

A temporary committee with seven demands

In a recorded video, several representatives of the Revolutionary Movement made several demands, considering that the Coalition has become an “alien entity to the revolution’s body,” and the Interim Government has been a formidable barrier between the Syrian people and the international humanitarian community.

They called on Turkey and the international community not to deal with the Coalition and Interim Government as they were not mandated by the Syrian people to represent them.

They invited “honorable members” in these entities to withdraw from them and join the people’s demands.

The recording mentioned that within 48 hours, the names of the members of a temporary committee would be announced for a three-month period with several tasks:

• Establishing a realistic mechanism for selecting the general assembly members to lead the revolution before the committee’s term ends, ensuring the highest level of genuine representation for all Syrian regions.
• Monitoring and managing the work of internal institutions and local councils.
• Establishing a mechanism to organize the work of organizations operating within Syria, and a mechanism for monitoring and inspecting their work.
• Following up on detainees’ issues and unjust judicial guarantees.
• Following up on service issues, and establishing a mechanism for monitoring and inspecting internal institutions.
• Forming a popular committee to meet with all military faction leaders to clarify their public position on calls for normalization and reconciliation with the Syrian regime, and their public stance on the “liberation battle.”
• Closing the Coalition and Interim Government buildings in Azaz indefinitely and placing them under the supervision of the “Dignity Sit-in” administration, preventing their members from entering Syria, and considering any internal institution dealing with or receiving them an institution hostile to the will of the people and the revolution’s goals.

Interim Govt comments

The Syrian Interim Government issued a statement warning of “dubious and separatist projects seeking to sabotage and destroy the revolution’s achievements.”

The statement mentioned that it would take legal action against any destructive actions targeting institutions or their employees, presenting violators before the judiciary according to the law.

It stated its commitment to the principles of the Syrian revolution and achieving its goals, implementing a political solution according to resolution “2254,” and supporting Syrians’ right to peaceful protest and freedom of expression.

Open sit-in

On July 1, a new movement called “Dignity Sit-in” was formed in northern rural Aleppo, including several activists and academics, aiming to achieve demands in the area managed by the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army.

The sit-in began simultaneously with protests and demonstrations in several cities and towns in northern Syria, following acts of violence against Syrian refugees in the Turkish city of Kayseri on June 30.

Basheer Alito, displaced from the city of Tal Rifaat and a participant in the Dignity Sit-in movement, explained in a conversation with Enab Baladi that the movement started as a reaction to a set of accumulated problems, including administrative failure and government policies in the north.

He added that the continuous sit-ins reflect the movement’s persistence until achieving its demands, which are to restore local communities’ self-decision-making, effectively organize the fronts, and establish a highly efficient civil administration responsive to residents’ demands and needs, without being influenced by external non-local agendas.

Alito pointed out that the sit-in continues daily in Afrin and its villages, as well as in Azaz and al-Bab, and will be in Jarablus, al-Rai, Mare’, and several other towns and cities in rural Aleppo.

Previous closure

Protests against the Syrian National Coalition and Interim Government are recurrent. On September 19, 2023, demonstrators closed the Coalition headquarters following a protest they organized.

At that time, protesters carried flowers and demanded that “sincere” Coalition members resign and not accept forced policies after what they described as “unfair” elections that recently appointed Hadi al-Bahra as the Coalition’s president.

On January 13, 2023, protesters attacked the former Coalition president, Salem al-Meslet, and expelled him from Azaz’s square during his attempt to participate in a demonstration condemning Turkish rapprochement with the Syrian regime. He was physically assaulted by several people as he got into his car.