29 April 2011 Last updated at 14:35 GMT Syria: Damascus and Deraa protesters face crackdown Protesters shout slogans during a demonstration after Friday prayers in the Syrian port city of Baniyas on 29 April 2011 Anti-government protests in Syria have grown over the past six weeks
Renewed anti-government protests have broken out in the Syrian capital, Damascus, and in cities around the country. In the southern city of Deraa, where the unrest began in mid-March, soldiers reportedly fired on protesters. Large numbers of security force members were on the streets of Damascus, with tear gas used as prayers ended, according to reports. Rallies were reported in Homs, in the north and in coastal cities. Activists had called for a "day of rage" and solidarity with victims of a recent crackdown in Deraa. 'Soldiers killed' A resident of Deraa, where protests have been strongest, told the BBC two people had been killed there on Friday, but this could not be independently verified. There are other unconfirmed reports that soldiers opened fire on demonstrators in Deraa, with AFP news agency saying seven people were killed. Continue reading the main story At the scene A correspondent BBC News, Damascus As the call to prayer rang out at the Umayyad (Great Mosque) in central Damascus, small groups of men gathered. Uniformed security was just visible on the surrounding roads. Once prayers had finished the crowd gathered on the square outside, chanting slogans against President Bashar al-Assad until the imam came out and called for calm. It took just five minutes for the square to empty. But I sensed the tension. One tourist had all his pictures deleted by plain-clothed men, probably officials. I went back to look inside the mosque, but was locked in by the gatekeepers, who released me after a brief exchange of words. But as I walked away I saw men with wooden sticks gathering in the main square. When I tried to take a photo someone hit me on the back of the head and told me to leave. As I left I spotted more small groups of men on the street and police stopping vehicles to check their identity. The city has endured days without power and is reported to be "locked down". Syrian state media said meanwhile that four soldiers had been killed and two others captured in a "terrorist" attack on their post in Deraa on Friday. That report cannot be verified either. Activists and human rights groups say the recent crackdown on anti-government dissent has left some 500 people dead. There has been growing international criticism of the response to protests against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. EU officials are meeting in Brussels on Friday to discuss sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad's regime, while the UN Human Rights Council is holding an emergency meeting in Geneva on Syria. As has become typical during months of protests in a number of Middle East countries, Friday was billed as a "day of rage" in Syria. Protests flared in several Damascus suburbs, including Daraya, and tear gas was used as crowds left the Zein al-Bedin mosque in the capital's Median area, according to reports. A BBC reporter in Damascus, who cannot be named for security reasons, said a crowd gathered to shout anti-regime slogans after prayers at the city's Great Mosque. An imam called for calm and the men dispersed. Our correspondent later saw unidentified men wielding wooden sticks in the main square and police stopping vehicles to check passengers' identities. Unverified video posted online showed people marching in the city of Homs. There were also reports of protests in the Kurdish city of Qamishli in Syria's north, and in the coastal towns of Latakia and Baniyas, which have seen regular marches in recent weeks. The BBC's Jim Muir, in Lebanon, said two people were reportedly wounded in Latakia. But the impression was the government was trying to avoid major bloodshed as the UN rights body held its meeting. Ahead of the protests, a notice on the Facebook page Syrian Revolution 2011 called for a "Friday of Anger". "To the youths of the revolution, tomorrow we will be in all the places, in all the streets," it said. "We will gather at the besieged towns, including with our brothers in Deraa." Protests were backed this week by the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist organisation crushed by President Assad's father in the 1980s and banned ever since. "Do not let the regime besiege your compatriots," said the statement, thought to be the first direct appeal by the group. "Chant with one voice for freedom and dignity. Do not allow the tyrant to enslave you." 'Corpse clubbed' In Deraa, at least 50 people are reported to have been shot dead in recent days. Some bodies are still in the streets as snipers are said to be targeting anyone who tries to retrieve the dead. Unverifiable video footage posted on the internet showed security forces clubbing a dead body in the street before dragging it away. Witnesses said water, communications and power had been cut off. A military crackdown was launched in Deraa on Monday, with security forces backed by tanks forcing their way into the centre of the city. There are unconfirmed reports of divisions within the security forces and of soldiers refusing orders to fire on protesters. On Wednesday, 200 members of Syria's ruling Baath party resigned after issuing an angry public statement denouncing the repression. The resignations - mostly from around Deraa - follow those of 30 Baath officials from the coastal city of Baniyas, north-west of Damascus. ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! 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