The G question: no matter of the 'if's and 'but's

The public discussion about NATO's possible purpose to kill Muammar Gaddafi led amongst others to  sceptic considerations. But mentioning Gaddafi's 'attainments' or doubting the political competences of the Freedom Fighters looks not only a bit like the try of the dictator's existence justification. It's above all a slap in the face of all the tens of thousands victims who fled, died or were injured since Feb 17. The slightest verdict Gaddafi and his cohort could stay in Libya practicing any form of political or social influence becomes unbearable for those who have lost their homes and their family members. It was from the beginning of the uprise a clear demand that Gaddafi has to assign absolutely - without compromises. Questions like 'What comes after the colonel?' may be legitimate but only useful after the achievement of of the basic demand. Nobody can exactly predict the Libyan life after and without the self-claimed leader. But dialogues about the rebuilding of the social, political and economical structures are taking place already, easy to verify by watching the documentations about their ability of self-organization, reading the reports about the connective unity amongst Arabs and Amazigh or just by visiting their websites. Furthermore a lot of Libyans living since decades in exile want to come home. But they can't as long as the main reason for their emigration is still controlling parts of the country.

The independence-seeking Libyans are not a simple bunch of outlaws. Their political wing, the Benghazi based National Transitional Council is acknowledged by a growing number of countries, today Croatia and Bulgaria joined the alliance of the TNC supporters. The 42 years lasting absolutistic reign of an obviously deranged egocentric and demanded war criminal has come to an end. And it's counterproductive to busy oneself with how he will be caught: dead, alive, what consequences have to be worried. The principle concern at the moment is that he will be caught.

Fear loses ground amid Syrians

Before joining yesterdays solidarity demonstration of the Syrian community in and around Munich, Bavaria I didn't really know a lot about the social background which is moving the masses nowadays on the streets of Daraa, Hama, Homs and other towns all over the land. The political motivated reasons seemed to be clear: Bashar Al Assad, representing the unloved regime, has to run the same career as his former president colleagues Ben Ali and Mubarak. At first sight another Arab Spring movement started by the courageous ones who were inflamed by the spark of enthusiasm.

But that is only one aspect amongst a lot of incidents which took place throughout the decades of the Assad dynasty. The Hama massacre committed in 1982 was not forgotten when ten thousands lost their life according to the decision of the former president and father of Bashar, Hafez Al Assad, to declare the rallies as based on radical islamic reasons - a rhetorical trick most oppressors used to justify extreme violent acts against their own population until nowadays. Unlike Tunisia or Egypt Syria is not a tourist spot for the traveling masses so the attention on eye-witness accounts was districted to the few who had become a visa and a persistent attender from the officials' side when arriving. The one and only time I went to the former German Democratic Republic, it had taken place just a few months before the system collapsed, I had such a companion at my side: a young, jeans-fitted buddy type, repeating that we 'could talk with him about everything we want' whilst presenting us his invisible tattoo messaging State Security on his forehead. In such an atmosphere you definitely cannot talk and act openminded. Especially when you have critical questions and suggestions referring to the host's society. So the few reports about the Syrians hadn't found the ways to a wide public media interest in the occident. Thanks to the new media this will gonna change.

While his fellows positioned the microphones in front of the small stage and handed out Syrian flags I had a few words with Tarek, a student from the region of Daraa and one of the organizers. He explained me that it is not Assad and his political regime alone who are responsible for the social situation in their country. It's the whole apparatus they have built up to protect themselves; secret services, armed forces and the whole branch of bureaucracy are performing on a watchmen level to suppress even the merest hint of nonconformism. Like a medieval castle the Syrian government is surrounded by infiltrating forces and has lost therefore the contact to their own civil population. According to that Tarek told me that their is no longer any reason for the Syrian people to stay at home, especially for the inhabitants of the the two biggest cities, Damascus and Aleppo. Now has come the time to go down on the streets and to express their needed freedom-related demands.

The chants and shoutings of the meanwhile roughly 150 protesters became louder. I asked Tarek about the meaning of an often-heard slogan on the streets of Syria when the crowd began to scan it. People demand the removal of the regime. It is the postulation I first read on that giant banner on Tahrir Square, Cairo, a clear strong sentence which will be found in the history books from now on and which is still the guiding theme of a new self-consciousness across the borders. The headline of the flyer I was holding in my hands told me the wall of fear is fallen. Tarek confirmed that the fear was until now working for the regime but that he and his fellows have thrown over this suppressive feeling, they even have no longer fear to present themselves in the public. On my question about possible consequences for their relatives at home in Syria he figured out that the argument of being watched frightens no longer the people, they have always been watched by order of the government. He spoke in an open self-conscious manner about possible official's henchmen surrounding the event and taking close-up photographies of the protesters. Of course it seemed to be seen as a potential risk, but when the Syrians at home decide to go demonstrating their requests in the public they and their families do not know if they are ever coming back. What has worked for a long time very effective as a key hole of fear turned now into a conclusive consciousness: accepting that they risk in worst case vanishing, torture or death Syrians try to disarm their regime in a more effective way guns and rockets could ever achieve. Tarek's reference how they name the condition of a displaced fellow or family member gave me the creeps - they say he or she is 'behind the sun'. A dark metaphor, indeed ..

Over and over the words 'Thourah' (revolution), 'Hurriya' (liberation) and 'Simliya' (peacefulness) were to be heard. The protesters were clapping their hands rhythmically to the chants and songs which alternated with speeches and appeals. The performance was becoming more and more vibrant and I asked myself, if some hundred can act like that how it will be if some hundred thousand will do it. A German rhyme says, roughly translated, 'where people sing, you can come to rest. The evil ones don't have songs.' Shouting out loud: "No fear anymore, Syrians want freedom!", the crowd formed a closed circle by holding their hands connected up in the air celebrating closeness and the fate they all have in common - no longer to remain silent. They know that they have to handle a perilous foe, an octopus with more than a dozen arms, but they decided to walk on the road of revolution where fear and repression are no longer arguments for  a regime-wanted passivity. The gap between the government and the civil population is so huge that the ruling officials have gambled the possibility away to refill it. And, as in the case of Saleh and Gaddafi, Assad and his ones are dealing with more than an image problem. Blocking the internet access, arresting even minors and kids, shooting at unarmed protesters, beating women, neglecting the freedom of speech by using disgusting methods of oppression, increasing prices of staple food - all those crimes will be recorded, not only in Syria, and one day the ICC prosecutors will have enough material to impeach those who are responsible for.

While the demonstrating crowd was dancing and celebrating the expression of their movement I thought about an upcoming future when I could enter a plane to Damascus and travel free throughout the country talking to everyone without the guidance of an official's watchman. Until then it is up to us to sample and share the knowledge about who the Syrians are and what they want. So as knowledge is the contrary to ignorance the counterpart of fear is ardor, and a huge wave of ardor, courage and patience might flush away the outdated rulers.