Middle East
Anti-government protests hit Syria
Thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators join the "solidarity for Deraa"
rallies across the country.
Last Modified: 29 Apr 2011 10:13
Muslim Brotherhood has for the first time called directly for protests in Syria
[AFP]
The Syrian government has mobilised army units across the capital and other
cities as thousands of demonstrators, demanding the ouster President Bashar
al-Assad's regime took to the streets of several cities, including the coastal
town of Baniyas, witnesses have said.
Activists have called for protests following Friday prayers, to commemorate the
killings of over 100 protesters last Friday.
Al Jazeera correspondent Rula Amin, reporting from Damascus, said today's
slogan is "solidarity for Deraa".
The call for mass demonstrations was made in a statement on the Facebook page
of Syrian Revolution 2011, a motor of the protests in which demonstrators
inspired by uprisings elsewhere in the Arab world are seeking greater freedoms.
"To the youths of the revolution, tomorrow we will be in all the places, in all
the streets ... We will gather at the besieged towns, including with our
brothers in Deraa," the statement said.
It said demonstrations would also be staged in other flashpoint towns such as
Homs in the centre of the country and Baniyas in the northwest.
Information Minister Adnan Mahmud told AFP news agency that the crackdown on
protesters would continue, setting the scene for violent confrontations later
Friday.
Our correspondent said, "There has been huge security presence: all entrances
to capital are manned by security forces."
Muslim Brotherhood backs protests
Significantly, Friday's demonstrations have the backing of the outlawed
Islamist group, the Muslim Brotherhood, which was crushed by the regime in 1982.
It is the first time that the Brotherhood has called directly for protests in
Syria since pro-democracy demonstrations against Assad, nearly erupted six
weeks ago.
A declaration by the Brotherhood, sent to Reuters news agency by its leadership
in exile on Thursday, said: "Do not let the regime besiege your compatriots.
Chant with one voice for freedom and dignity. Do not allow the tyrant to
enslave you. God is great."
So far, Brotherhood has been trying to keep a low profile, as government has
been trying to tie them to protests, Amin said.
The looming showdown comes as the UN Human Rights Council prepared for a
special session on Syria in Geneva, and the European Union was meeting in
Brussels to consider a wide range of sanctions against the Arab state.
The protests have drawn a cross section of Syrian society, which has been under
Baath Party rule for the last 48 years.
The younger Assad kept intact the autocratic political system he inherited in
2000 from his father, Hafez al-Assad.
On Monday, Syrian army backed by tanks and armoured vehicle stormed Deraa
resulting in further casualties.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack on Deraa has killed at
least 50 civilians, with essential supplies in the city running law.
Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies
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