LONDON: In a remarkable display of defiance, around 2,000 anti-government demonstrators converged in the city of Suweida, located in southern Syria.
The protesters boldly tore down a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad from a prominent city square, marking yet another demonstration in a region that has been relatively untouched by the civil war but is now grappling with a severe economic crisis.
Suweida, primarily inhabited by the minority Druze sect, had been relatively peaceful during the turbulent years of the Syrian conflict. However, discontentment has been brewing, and it erupted into protests three weeks ago when the government decided to remove fuel subsidies. This decision only exacerbated the economic hardships already plaguing the region.
Remarkably, the authorities have not resorted to the usual drastic measures to suppress these protests, which is quite unusual in a nation where security forces have consistently employed brutal tactics to quell political dissent.
The chants of the protesters echoed through the streets of Suweida on Friday, with slogans like “May Bashar al-Assad fall!” and “Bashar al-Assad, we don’t want you!” reverberating through the city. According to activists, the demonstrations have been steadily gaining momentum, although they have yet to spill over into other government-held territories, as reported by the BBC’s Arab affairs editor, Sebastian Usher.
Anti-government protests in areas under government control are a rarity, mainly because of the ruthless crackdowns on political opposition by the security forces. Activist video footage, seen by Reuters, vividly captured the moment when a group of men tore down a banner bearing President Assad’s portrait, which had been suspended above the local branch of the Farmers’ Union. In a symbolic gesture of defiance, they went on to weld shut the doors of the union’s offices.
This isn’t the first time Suweida has been a focal point of dissent. In a previous protest, the crowd had destroyed a statue of former President Hafez al-Assad, underlining the deep-seated frustrations simmering in the region.
Notably, protests against the government have also cropped up in neighbouring Deraa province. This area holds significance as it was where the anti-Assad uprising began in 2011, though it was subsequently reclaimed by the government seven years later. These sporadic protests indicate that economic desperation and disillusionment with the regime are not limited to a single region but are gradually spreading, presenting an additional challenge for the Assad government in an already fraught landscape.
