In October 2025, a decree designated March 18th as the Anniversary of the Syrian Revolution, marking the beginning of nationwide protests against former President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in 2011.
The exact date of the uprising’s onset has long been disputed among Syrians, with some commemorating it on March 15th and others on March 18th.
On March 18th 2011, a pivotal moment unfolded in the city of Deraa (also written Daraa, Dara'a, Der'a or Dar'a), when protests erupted calling for the release of schoolboys who had been detained, along with demands for an end to corruption and greater political freedoms. Assad regime security forces brutally quashed the demonstrations by firing live ammunition, murdering three, with a fourth tragically succumbing to their injuries the subsequent day.
This violent crackdown on peaceful protests served as a catalyst that would set into motion a chain of events that would forever change Syria and the world. The eventual murder under torture of these schoolboys, coupled with the lethal suppression of dissent, marked a turning point in Syria’s trajectory shaping the course of events for years to come.
Prior to 2025, Revolution Day was observed on March 8th to commemorate the B'aath party coming to power in 1963.
