Peaceful activism was the essence of the Syrian Revolution for Dignity that erupted in 2011, after 40 years under a tyrannical dictatorship.

It started with protests after the arrest and torture of children who had written anti-regime graffiti on their school walls. The movement grew when regime forces fired live ammunition at unarmed protesters. The Uprising blossomed when the regime besieged entire towns and cities, cutting off access to food, medicine, and utilities. The more violent the regime’s repression, the more Syrians showed solidarity by joining the nonviolent marches as they spread around Syria.

Activists offered security forces water bottles and flowers. They chanted and danced, together, arms interlocked in solidarity. They set loose ping pong balls stamped with the words Freedom and Dignity on steep Damascus streets. They hid loudspeakers in bushes to amplify their words. They used art and humor to spread their message of freedom and dignity. Like every other global movement, their activism was peaceful.