French Response
The French High Commissioner, Damien de Martel, was urgently recalled from Beirut to Damascus to handle the situation, and General Charles Huntziger, commander of the Army of the Levant was tasked with restoring calm. Several Bloc leaders including Nasib al-Bakri and Mardam Bey were exiled, and more than 3,000 people were arrested.
In an effort to disperse the demonstrations, French troops opened fire on the protesting crowds, leaving dozens dead. However, the measures failed to quell the uprising which garnered support from other Arab countries as people protested on the streets of Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan in solidarity with the Syrian people. The French government also came under severe pressure inside France from the leftist media and the emerging Popular Front which called for a complete re-haul of its policy in Syria and Lebanon.
Read more about this topic: 1936 Syrian General Strike
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