Social Media Monitor: Sectarian Tension Runs High after Banias Massacre

"Banias - A massacre at the hands of the minority that you wanted the Security Council to protect." A photo published by the Syrian Revolution 2011 page on Facebook.
“Banias – A massacre at the hands of the minority that you wanted the Security Council to protect.” A photo published by the Syrian Revolution 2011 page on Facebook.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human rights declared on Thursday, May 16 that it has documented 145 killings in the massacre that reportedly took place in the coastal city of Banias on May 2.

The massacre occurred as Syrian government troops and loyalist militiamen carried out a military operation on May 2 to seize certain districts of the city of Banias and the neighbouring village of Baida, which are home to a predominantly Sunni population. The operation allegedly resulted in the death of the civilians, including women and children, according to opposition activists.
Following the offensive last week, social media outlets affiliated with the Syrian opposition said the main force that took part in the massacre was a pro-government militia called the “Syrian Resistance – The Popular Front for the Liberation of Iskenderun,”or the PFLI, an obscure group that may be part of the Syrian government’s efforts to form loyalist paramilitary organizations in parallel to the Syrian military. Iskenderun is the Arabic name of the province officially known in Turkey as Hatay, the disputed Turkish province, once part of France’s Syria mandate, that is home to a large Arabic-speaking community, including many Alawites.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published a video on YouTube that shows the head of the PFLI, Ali Kayyali, declaring that Banias should be “cleansed” from “traitors.”  Pro-opposition Facebook pages said that Kayyali is an Alawite Turk from the city Antakya, whose real name is Mihraç Ural, and has ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, known under its Kurdish acronym PKK.

News of the massacre triggered outrage on social media outlets due to its sectarian nature.
The Palestinian columnist at the Jordanian daily Ad-Dustoor, Yasser Zaatreh, described what happened in Banias as “ethnic cleansing”, which he says is a prelude to the division of Syria:

"The massacres of Banias are an ethnic cleansing that pave the way for the [formation] of an Alawite state after [government forces] have lost hope of achieving victory. This scenario was proposed by Iran so that Alawites do not hesitate to fight…"
“The massacres of Banias are an ethnic cleansing that pave the way for the [formation] of an Alawite state after [government forces] have lost hope of achieving victory. This scenario was proposed by Iran so that Alawites do not hesitate to fight…”

On her Facebook page, opposition activist Khawla Dunia, who is a secular Alawite, rejected allegations that the massacre represented the entire Allawite community’s attitude toward Syrian Sunnis.  She also stressed that people should focus on preserving the non-sectarian Syrian identity.
Syrian Kurdish activist Dilshad Osman posted a video on his Facebook page, clamining that armed opposition groups were preparing to attack the border town of Afreen in the province of Aleppo. He commented:

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“We shall retaliate”
Supporters of both the Syrian government and opposition were concerned about the Israeli airstrikes on May 3 and May 5, and the possible consequences of those attacks.

The Syrian government announced that one of the airstrikes targeted the Institute for Scientific Research in Jamraya near Damascus, while Israeli sources said that it targeted weapons that were being transported to Hezbollah from Iran.

The Facebook page, “The Supporters of Bashar al-Assad” announced to its subscribers shortly after the second attack that the Syrian president will declare war on Israel:

"Extremely Important: Russian TV: The Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will declare war against Israel in a few hours. MIG warplanes are extensively flying over Lattakia and Tartus."
“Extremely Important: Russian TV: The Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will declare war against Israel in a few hours. MIG warplanes are extensively flying over Lattakia and Tartus.”

But the Syrian government only discussed retaliation to future attacks. The Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoabi held a press conference during which he said the bombing “reveals the…ties between Israel and takfiri [religiously zealous] terrorist groups,” in a reference to groups of the armed opposition.

The former member of the Syrian National Council Adib al-Shishakli commented on Zoabi’s statement on his Facebook page, saying:

"At the end of the day, the majority of Syrian turned out to be collaborators with Israel and members of takfiri groups, and the minority that supports the regime is the group of honest people who care for the homeland. If that's the way it is, then I'm proud of being a collaborator [working] for the sake of freedom."
“At the end of the day, the majority of Syrian turned out to be collaborators with Israel and members of takfiri groups, and the minority that supports the regime is the group of honest people who care for the homeland. If that’s the way it is, then I’m proud of being a collaborator [working] for the sake of freedom.”

There were reports saying that some opposition supporters were happy with the attacks because they targeted government interests.

Al-Jazeera program presenter Faisal al-Qassem criticized such views in a tweet:

"To those who are happy with the Israeli aggression on Syrian: you idiots, Israel is not destroying [Syria] for your sake; it is [doing it] for its own sake."
“To those who are happy with the Israeli aggression on Syrian: you idiots, Israel is not destroying [Syria] for your sake; it is [doing it] for its own sake.”

Deir El-Zor Suspension Bridge Collapses

The suspension bridge in the north-eastern city of Deir El-Zor collapsed on Thursday, May 2. The bridge, which stretched over the Euphrates, was constructed during the 1920s under the French mandate.
Pro-opposition Syrian writer Samar Yazbek held the Syrian government responsible for destroying the bridge. She tweeted:

"The Assad forces blew up the historic bridge of Deir El-Zor. We now look back at…the French occupation, which built the bridge, and [then consider] Assad's occupation, which destroyed it!"
“The Assad forces blew up the historic bridge of Deir El-Zor. We now look back at…the French occupation, which built the bridge, and [then consider] Assad’s occupation, which destroyed it!”

Activist Bassam Quwatli commented on his Facebook page, saying:

"Blowing the bridge of Deir El-Zor up will not will blast the bridges connecting the Syrian people."
“Blowing the bridge of Deir El-Zor up will not will blast the bridges connecting the Syrian people.”

Assad Appears on Labour Day

President Bashar al-Assad made a rare public appearance on Labour Day, May 1, when he visited a power station in Damascus.  During the visit, he praised the performance of Syrian workers during the on-going war.

Jamal al-Atrash, who presents himself as a Syrian engineer living in Budapest, commented on his Facebook page:

"Today is Workers' Day; this reminds me of the Baath Party, which [is] falsely called 'the party of workers and peasants'. It has become the party of the [Alawite] sect and sectarians, after it has crushed workers and peasants and made them roam the world, trying to make a living."
“Today is Workers’ Day; this reminds me of the Baath Party, which [is] falsely called ‘the party of workers and peasants’. It has become the party of the [Alawite] sect and sectarians, after it has crushed workers and peasants and made them roam the world, trying to make a living.”

Ghassan Abu Hamdan, who presents himself as a dentist living in Riyadh, was inspired by the Marxist call for the workers of the world to unite and called on Syrians to unite as well:

"'Workers of the world unite' – this slogan has been repeated around the world for more than a 100 years…we should call on the great Syrian people to unite in the face of the entire world to topple this bastard who's residing in Damascus…Unite, Syrians, unite."
“‘Workers of the world unite’ – this slogan has been repeated around the world for more than a 100 years…we should call on the great Syrian people to unite in the face of the entire world to topple this bastard who’s residing in Damascus…Unite, Syrians, unite.”