Social Media Monitor: Damascus University under Fire

A cartoon by artist Hani Abbas pays tribute to the students killed at the University of Damascus – Facebook
A cartoon by artist Hani Abbas pays tribute to the students killed at the University of Damascus – Facebook

Attacks by mortar shells have become an almost daily event in Damascus. On Thursday, March 28, mortars hit the Faculty of Architecture building at the University of Damascus, killing at least 15 students at an outdoor cafeteria. This marked the second major attack against a university in Syria this year: rockets hit the University of Aleppo in January, killing dozens of students.

While no one claimed responsibility for the attack against the University of Damascus, government and opposition media exchanged accusations blaming the opposite side for the attack.

Several opposition activists expressed their outrage at the incident on social media.

Civil activist Rima Dali, who is known for participating in several sit-ins in Damascus, commented on her Facebook page, saying:

"What is happening today at the University of Damascus is the same thing that has happened to the rest of the Syrian universities. Are we going to [stand by and] watch the sky as it rains death?"
“What is happening today at the University of Damascus is the same thing that has happened to the rest of the Syrian universities. Are we going to [stand by and] watch the sky as it rains death?”

A tweet by the member of the opposition-led National Coalition Haitham al-Malih was particularly controversial:

"The students of the University of Damascus have many responsibilities, including civil disobedience and mourning, because [Syria] is in a state of war and if they don't show any reaction their university will [have the same fate as] the University of Aleppo."
“The students of the University of Damascus have many responsibilities, including civil disobedience and mourning, because [Syria] is in a state of war and if they don’t show any reaction their university will [have the same fate as] the University of Aleppo.”

“The students of the University of Damascus have many responsibilities, including civil disobedience and mourning, because [Syria] is in a state of war and if they don’t show any reaction their university will [have the same fate as] the University of Aleppo.”

Supporters of the regime, such as the director of the Beirut-based Media Focal Center Salem Zahran, used this tweet to suggest that Malih had threatened the students of the Damascus University before the mortar attack:

"This is what Haitham al-Malih said just before mortars hit the University of Damascus, killing more than 10 students."
“This is what Haitham al-Malih said just before mortars hit the University of Damascus, killing more than 10 students.”

Malih then responded by saying that the snapshot of his initial tweet was doctored to change the time:

"This is a tweet that I wrote at KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] 17:28 [5:30 PM] and a shabbih [pro-regime thug] changed it, claiming that I tweeted it at KSA 14: 28 [2:30 PM]."
“This is a tweet that I wrote at KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] 17:28 [5:30 PM] and a shabbih [pro-regime thug] changed it, claiming that I tweeted it at KSA 14: 28 [2:30 PM].”

The exact time of the attack was not reported in media. A Damascus Bureau correspondent who is based in Damascus said that the attack took place in the early afternoon.

The times of the tweets are usually saved according to the Greenwich Mean Time and then displayed according to the time zone of each user. Malih usually moves between Turkey, Egypt and Germany, and the location from which he tweeted is not clear.

The Palestinian columnist at the Jordanian daily Al-Dustoor Yasser Az-Zaatrah wrote the following tweet, suggesting that the regime could have carried out the attack in order to ruin the image of the opposition.

"It is difficult to know for sure [who was behind the shelling] of the University of Damascus. The regime could have done it in order to hit the popular base of the revolution. To be continued."
“It is difficult to know for sure [who was behind the shelling] of the University of Damascus. The regime could have done it in order to hit the popular base of the revolution. To be continued.”

In another tweet, Zaatrah suggested that the opposition could also be behind the attack:

"It seems that the rebels should avoid using mortars in targeting places close to civilian areas because [mortars] are not accurate."
“It seems that the rebels should avoid using mortars in targeting places close to civilian areas because [mortars] are not accurate.”

Is Bashar al-Assad dead or alive?

Social media users last week were pre-occupied with the fate of President Bashar al-Assad, after rumours about his death spread. This rumour started after a video was published on YouTube on Friday, March 29. The video shows the head of the Douma Martyrs Brigade of the Free Syrian Army Abu Ali Khaiba declaring Assad’s death and giving him 12 hours to appear on television to prove that he is still alive. Assad still has not met the challenge.

Cartoon artist Ali Ferzat commented on this news on his popular Facebook page, saying that Assad’s death would not affect the current situation.

"…[A]ny information …that is not credible could take the revolution a step back [since] revolution supporters depend on hope and high morale. Let's assume that Bashar al-Assad is dead. Several days after news of his death appeared, the regime's forces, Shabbiha and the foreign powers that support him are still involved in this conflict …this mean that we were wrong to think for the past two years that Bashar is the head of the regime (if we assume that he really died). His death has not changed anything."
“…[A]ny information …that is not credible could take the revolution a step back [since] revolution supporters depend on hope and high morale. Let’s assume that Bashar al-Assad is dead. Several days after news of his death appeared, the regime’s forces, Shabbiha and the foreign powers that support him are still involved in this conflict …this mean that we were wrong to think for the past two years that Bashar is the head of the regime (if we assume that he really died). His death has not changed anything.”

Syrians Celebrate a Sad Easter

While Christians of Western churches around the world celebrated Easter on Sunday, March 31, the holiday in Syria was bleak. Celebrations were mostly limited to attending the Good Friday and Easter mass, such as the service held at the Saint Kyrillos Church in the Qassaa neighbourhood of Damascus.

The Union of Local Coordination Committees tweeted Easter greetings to Christians from the city of Hama, along with a link to a YouTube video showing a female activist in Hama spraying a message to Christians on the wall, which says: “My Christian brother: I will protect your cross with my blood…Happy Easter.”

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The National Coalition Represents Syria at the Arab League  

During the Arab summit on Wednesday, March 27, the opposition Syrian National Coalition took Syria’s seat at the Arab League, an event that opposition supporters celebrated as a diplomatic victory.

Kurdish legal activist Mustafa Ismail protested that Syria’s official name was kept as “The Syrian Arab Republic”, which excludes Kurds. He wrote on his Facebook page:

"We didn't hear anything from those who preach Kurdish federalism, nor did we read the slightest statement from them about Syria being an Arab country and the name given to the republic. Where are our Syrian Kurdish parties [that call for federalism]? …"
“We didn’t hear anything from those who preach Kurdish federalism, nor did we read the slightest statement from them about Syria being an Arab country and the name given to the republic. Where are our Syrian Kurdish parties [that call for federalism]? …”

In a related move, Qatar handed over the Syrian embassy to the National Coalition, which held the name “The Embassy of the Syrian National Coalition.” Many opposition supporters expressed their anger at the fact the embassy does not carry Syria’s name, leading the Coalition to change its name. Haitham al-Malih reassured his supporters that this issue has been addressed.

"The name of the embassy that was given to us in Doha was changed from the Embassy of the [Syrian] Coalition to the Syrian Embassy, after the previous name was met with objections and criticism."
“The name of the embassy that was given to us in Doha was changed from the Embassy of the [Syrian] Coalition to the Syrian Embassy, after the previous name was met with objections and criticism.”