SYRIA: Syria's 'chanters of the uprising' say they have dedicated their voices and lives to the revolt against president Bashar al-Assad

Record ID: 280865

  • Title: SYRIA: Syria's 'chanters of the uprising' say they have dedicated their voices and lives to the revolt against president Bashar al-Assad
  • Date: 9th June 2012
  • Summary: BINNISH, IDLIB, SYRIA (JUNE 6, 2012) (AMATEUR VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS) PROTESTERS AND REBEL FIGHTERS CHANTING AND DRUMMING DURING PROTEST CHANTER ABUL NAJEM CHANTING FROM ROOFTOP SURROUNDED BY PROTESTERS PROTESTER CARRYING BANNER IN SUPPORT OF UPRISING ABUL NAJEM CHANTING: ''Oh Homs, Binnish is with you till death!''/PROTESTERS REPEATING CHANT CROWDS CHANTING AND A
  • Embargoed: 24th June 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country: Syria
  • Topics: Conflict,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAAGNW84TC0L1EWB9OLS5FAFFS3
  • Story Text: Protest singers, known as ''the chanters of the revolution'', have become one of the main symbols of the Syrian uprising against president Bashar al-Assad.
    The town of Binnish, in northwest Idlib province, has several chanters who help rally thousands of protesters in the town's main square to sing along to songs they have written and composed. Many of these chanters had nothing to do with music before the uprising began.
    Video obtained by Reuters and filmed on Wednesday (June 6) shows three chanters singing from the roof of a building overlooking a square during a protest, where hundreds gathered to chant for the downfall of Assad, whose forces have violently clamped down on them over the past 15 months.
    ''My voice is for God and for freedom and God willing no one is going to take it away from me except the one who made it. My voice is for the fighters, the free people and we are not going to give up until we defeat this dictator Bashar, God willing,'' said chanter Mazen al-Sayyed.
    Being a chanter in an uprising calling for Assad's departure is not without its dangers. Opposition activists and rights groups say these chanters become wanted by the government and some have ended up dead or in prison. In the most famous case last July, activists said a well-known chanter named Ibrahim Qashoush from Hama was found dead - his body dumped in a river and his throat slit.
    Before he died, Qashoush had created what is considered the best-known song of the revolt and one of its first, entitled: ''Leave, Bashar''.
    For the chanters of Binnish, death or imprisonment has not dissuaded them from what they say is their contribution to the cause of the revolt.
    ''We are giving our voice to God Almighty and we are doing this for the sake of God. We are doing this in solidarity with the women whose honour is violated every day in front of the whole world, this is why. We are doing this because we want to get back the freedom that has been take away from us for four decades,'' said chanter Ibrahim Qabbani.
    The three chanters of Binnish are part of a wider trend as other chanters around the country have become a key force for rallying large protests in various cities.
    In Homs, the most famous chanter is Abdel Basset Sarout, a former goalkeeper in the national football team.
  • Copyright Holder: AMATEUR VIDEO (CAN SELL)
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