11 Dead, At Least 31 Hurt as Syria Sees Biggest Demos Yet on 'Fall of Legitimacy' Day
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Syrian security forces opened fire on Friday on anti-regime rallies killing at least nine protesters, three of them in the capital Damascus, human rights activists said.
The violence came as thousands of protesters took to the streets across Syria after the weekly Muslim prayers calling for the fall of the autocratic regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
The demonstrations were in response to a call by the Facebook group Syrian Revolution 2011, one of the motors of the protests, under the banner, "Fall of legitimacy."
"Security forces tried to break up a rally calling for the fall of the regime with tear gas before opening fire," killing three people and injuring 25 others, an activist in the Damascus neighborhood of Barzeh said, reached by telephone.
They also opened fire on demonstrators in the Damascus suburb of Kiswah, killing at least five people, another activist told Agence France Presse.
"Demonstrators left the mosque after Friday prayers and marched for a few minutes until security forces opened fire to disperse them, killing five people and wounding six others," rights activist Mohammed Enad Suleiman said.
Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, also reported "one death" in the central city of Homs.
But witnesses told Al-Arabiya television that three people were shot dead in the Homs neighborhood of al-Shammas.
Demonstrations rocked many Syrian cities, including the eastern oil hub of Deir Ezzor where 30,000 protesters filled the streets, while thousands demonstrated in neighboring Median, Abdul Rahman said.
“Today’s protests are the biggest since the eruption of the Syrian revolution in mid-March,” he noted.
Meanwhile the official SANA news agency reported that "several members of the security forces were hit by gunfire in Kiswah."
Syria's state television blamed the civilian deaths in Barzeh on "armed men" whom it said also opened fire on security forces, wounding several including an officer.
The state broadcaster added that a police officer was also killed by gunfire in the Damascus suburb of Qadam, and the official SANA news agency reported that "several members of the security forces were hit by gunfire in Kiswah."
Syria blames the violence on "armed terrorist gangs" and says the protests are being orchestrated from abroad.
Fridays have been a focal point for protesters since the start of pro-democracy demonstrations in mid-March, with Syrians taking to the streets on the weekly day of rest after midday Muslim prayers.
Syrian rights groups say that more than 1,300 people have been killed and 10,000 have been arrested in the regime's brutal crackdown against dissent since the protests -- now in their fourth month -- erupted.
The Facebook page said Friday's protests should send a strong message to Assad that he and his regime are no longer legitimate and must go.
"Bashar is no longer my president and his government no longer represents me," it said.
24 June 2011, 17:45
02
سأمحو ركبتي بالممحاة، سآكلها حتى لا أجثو لعسكرٍ أو تيارٍ أو مرحلة - الشاعر السوري الراحل محمد الماغوط
24 June 2011, 19:55
21
It is crystal clear that the alawites are murduring anyone on their way. Soon the roles are going to change and they will be the one to be mrdered. Their days are numbered.
24 June 2011, 20:02
11
It is like a snowball, it will keep getting bigger and bigger......
24 June 2011, 20:16
02
What goes around comes around..such Dictators will fall just the many before them...
Assadoun fi Lubnan and kalbiun bil Joulan..
24 June 2011, 21:05
11
Better a 100 or even 1000 terrorists get killed than watch a mass exodus and the killing of hundreds of thousands of Christians and other minorities in Syria by a bunch of low-life terrorists and tools of Saudi Arabia, Israel, the US and the West. These WORLD CLASS CRIMINALS AND TERRORIST NATIONS have brought nothing but misery to the Iraqi Christians, to the Palestinians as well as to the Christians in Egypt, Sudan and even Lebanon.
24 June 2011, 22:02
00
drake tell us how come these revolts are us-israeli made?
everyone knows that they are the supporters of the assad regime! they prefer him in power and always shut their mouths on this repressive regime!
thanks to assad golan is peaceful, not a single shot since its occupation! and iran say the are resistants to israel what a big comedy!
so???
24 June 2011, 23:36
11
@Drake: You sound like a Aouni idiot, what does this have to do with Christian suffering in Iraq or Egypt or elsewhere? Hundreds of children have been killing in the protests and many thousands of elderly and random people have been arrested, none of them have any thing to do with terrorism. The real terrorism is that of the Assad regime which launched a bombing campaign in Lebanon plus support the Sunni insurgency in Iraq that killed the Christians you're crying about.
If the Christians in Syria find themselves at a disadvantage after the fall of Assad they will have themselves to blame for supporting a bloodthirsty dictator whose family and military has killed more Christians in Lebanon than Al Qaeda ever has everywhere else combined.
25 June 2011, 01:43
01
"The Truth" so you want the Christians of Syria to support the Muslim Brothers? Go tell them that this is in their best interest. And then, if the Muslim Brothers take over and do to the Christians what was done to the Iraqi Christians, then blame them for their own exodus and death because they "supported" Assad. Wow! That's strategic thinking that only a Hakim is capable of, and perhaps that's why he went to Syria when his hero Bassel was killed and offered his condolences to his master Hafez al Assad!!! amn al moujtama3 al tokhbissi fawqa koul e3tibar turns out to be the Hakim's real slogan.
25 June 2011, 02:43
10
I would love to see the Baath regime overthrown, but not to be replaced by the Syrian Ikhwan. The Ikhwan of Syria are the most bigoted ikhwan in the world and do not have any principles other than seizing power. This Tuesday saw the biggest pro- government demonstration ever, not because the demonstrators love Assad, but they do not want a religious bigoted Sunni state.
As far as the 1300 persons killed so far (civilians and military) and 11,000 Syrian refugees in Turkey...well, try to compare that with the results of US invasion of Iraq...500,000 dead and 5,000,000 refugees inside and outside Iraq.
25 June 2011, 09:03
00
After 4 months of terrorism in Syria , President Bashar el-ASSAD is still in power , stronger then ever .
On 23 million Syrian citizens , only few thousands manipulated and paid by KSA and al Qaida , have been demonstrating , breaking burning and killing people and soldiers in the name of Allah .
Do you call that democracy and civilisation ?? All the Sunnis want is a regime change , like Hariri tried to make in Lebanon with Taef , and now , after Taef , trying to install Sunni Emirates ..in Tripoli and Akkar to start with .
The majority of the Syrian people and the majority of the Lebanese people are with you President ASSAD .
The Vatican and his holiness Pope Benedict are with you and your regime . You are here to stay , and those terrorists will soon disappear , like Saad Hariri did .
25 June 2011, 10:01
00
does anyone have any idea if the regime falls what will happen next?
what will be the effects on leb.??
P.S am asking the question in a neutral way just curious if the regime falls what will happen in leb?? good economy & a more stable country? or choas?
25 June 2011, 13:45
00
It;s a matter of time before ALL Christians in Middle East vanish or convert, as dictated in a larger agreement, aimed at Muslim global domination. The Christians warlords in Lebanon refuse to envision the upcoming Exodus because they have been bought by Saudi Arabia and Iran, during Taef agreement and via Hezballah, respectively.
All what remains are the arguments: Who will see the Christian out of Lebanon, and the mode of transportation.
Keep arguing ...
25 June 2011, 14:25
00
totally not agree A. templar
the soviet union just before collapsing looked as if it's gonna dominate the world
& then it suddenly collapsed & it a rapid way
Read history!!! it will allow you to see the future...
25 June 2011, 14:25
00
totally not agree A. templar
the soviet union just before collapsing looked as if it's gonna dominate the world
& then it suddenly collapsed & it a rapid way
Read history!!! it will allow you to see the future...
25 June 2011, 14:31
00
i find it soooooooooooooooooooo funny that le phenicien defends now the very same ones who killed and tortured and imprisoned aounists supporters before!!
is he so afraid or coward now to stand up against this terrorist regime?
you are soooooooo dumb my poor man....
can you justify urself and why you defend your beloved torturers?
i guess not because you can only think thru the declarations of ur hezbi puppet!!!
we pity you so much....
25 June 2011, 14:47
00
Some Lebanese losers want to see Assad gone and replaced by the Sunni Salafis and Wahhabis, all terrorists, using women and children as tools. Then, we shall see what will happen to all the minorities, including the Kurds and the Christians. For this reason alone these terrorist Saudi-funded crazies must be pursued till the end of the earth and terminated. Otherwise, they will do to Syria what the US did to Iraq: mass exodus and killings of Christians. The losers in Lebanon have gambled on Mafia Hariri and his thugs and lost. Now, they are gambling on Assad losing. Good luck, punks. And as one smart person said and keeps saying: you have miscalculated and you continue to miscalculate. Good for us.
