There’s nothing funny about the ongoing violence in Syria, but rebels are having a laugh at dictator Bashar al-Assad’s expense as a way to fight back against the embattled regime.
Prank calls, fake guns and parodies are all part of the arsenal in the fight for freedom.
“There are lots of very creative tools to keep themselves entertained and at the same time annoy the regime,” said Tim Hakmi of the Syrian Canadian Council.
The regime has been cracking down on protesters for over nine months, in a conflict that has claimed an estimated 5,000 lives. Many of the dead are peaceful protesters armed only with words, although Syrian army defectors killed at least 27 government forces in Daraa on Thursday.
Hakmi said protesters have smuggled MP3 players loaded with anti-Assad messages into the Ministry of Finance where they are played on loud speakers. Others prank call the army headquarters, pretending to be high-ranking officials, to ask when Assad will step down.
Caricatures of Assad star in YouTube videos satirizing the embattled leader. For example, the one posted below was uploaded by Wikisham and pokes fun at Assad by linking him to Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Other YouTube videos show fake weapons built out of pop bottles and cardboard to ridicule Assad, who consistently accuses protesters of being armed.
(This video is believed to be a rebel in a Syrian city. Global News is unable to independently verify the authenticity, content, location or date of this video)
Get daily National news
“It is entertaining and helps them relieve the pressure and it causes havoc for the regime,” Hakmi says.
But the jokes could be a sign of a serious transformation in a society suppressed for more than 40 years.
“Being able to express (dissatisfaction) in itself is a gift,” says Hakmi. “We want everybody in Syria to come out and give their honest opinion of what they think of the government and its leadership.”
Using humour to express political ideas is a very healthy sign, according to Terry Mosher or Aislin, the pen name used by The Montreal Gazette’s cartoonist.
“Any healthy society always has a hysterical element to it,” Mosher said. “It’s a very healthy thing to see an emerging outfit like this poking fun at those in charge.”
For Hakmi, the laughter shows the fear of authority is dissipating, paving the way for freedom.
“The main point here is the Syrians have been living in fear for 40 years from the al-Assad family and once they break that wall of fear then they can be liberated,” he said.
Mosher agrees, saying: “A big part of what humour is in effect is dealing with what irritates us or what we are afraid of… When you laugh at something, in an odd way you are freer than before.”
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.