 Those affected by Ba'athist repression began to rally behind the insurgents; Ba'ath Party co-founder Bitar supported the uprising, rallying the old, anti-military Ba'athists.The increasing threat to the government's survival strengthened the hard-liners, who favored repression over concessions.Security forces began to purge all state, party and social institutions in Syria, and were sent to the northern provinces to quell the uprising.