In response to intense debates and conflicts between civil groups and Islamists on which flag to hold in anti-regime demonstrations, the Local Coordination Committees in Syria launched the “Flag of the Revolution Represents Me” in order to end this rift once and for all. The awareness campaign aims to educate people to the importance of being united under one banner, the flag that was first in use when Syria achieved independence from the French Mandate. The flag is now known as the flag of the second independence, freeing Syrian from the Assad occupation.
The campaign began in the first week of March of 2013, with the participation of all coordination committees under the umbrella of the Local Coordination Committees organization ad well as other assemblies, organizations and independent activists. Activists operating in the campaign have explained that their calls for flag-unity do not necessarily mean the abolition of other opinions and views but It is merely suggesting to postpone these of debates until after the fall of the Syrian regime. The campaign also focused on bringing out both the beauty and importance of the flag as a turning point in the uprising, through raising the flag in Syrian cities and towns and organizing multiple graffiti campaigns to paint the flag on a wide range.
What is interesting about the campaign is the participation of several towns with little activism within the uprising, like Masyaf, a small city in the province of Hama that supported the campaign by coloring the uprising's flag over handmade objects like key-chains, “proving that the city, often accused of supporting the regime, is ready to be part of any peaceful activity that reinforces the uprising,” as one campaign activist reflected in an interview with Syria Untold.
In the town of Yaduda, Daraa, the participating activists baked a flag-colored cake and designed shawls and scarfs with the colors black, green, red and white; the colors of the Syrian uprising. Activists from the Hanano Youth movement also participated by coloring coffee cups and eggs. Additionally, an outstanding number of cities have taken a part in the campaign, from the deep southern towns of Nawa near Daraa, to the far north of Dabeq of Aleppo.
The Revolution Flag Represents Me, is part of continuing process of self-reflection within the uprising, in an attempt to put it back on track, further affirming that constructive criticism is the basic foundation of the Syrian revolution, and it is what distinguishes it from the regime.
