Hundreds turn out for rare protest in southern Syria

In a rare show of defiance in a government-held area, more than 300 people turned out in the southern Syrian city of Sweida on Friday to block streets and squares for the fifth day of protests against the regime of dictator Bashar al-Assad.

The protests were sparked by a recent government decision to remove about 600,000 families from subsidy programs. Those families cut off lost access to lower-priced food and oil, triggering protests in a country where 90% of the population is poor.

"We want a civil, just and democratic state," one young man said before a cheering crowd.

An elderly man bemoaned price hikes, saying: "We cannot live or get our rights. We don't have any gas or diesel. We want to live in a homeland that guarantees our dignity and our rights."

Local media outlets broadcast images of people hoisting Druze flags — the religious minority is based in the region — despite the arrival of security forces from Damascus. Media outlets reported most people at the demonstrations were first-time protesters desperate for a better life and in want of democracy.

Sweida was also the scene of smaller protests over similar issues in 2020.

The Druze have refused to be drawn into conflict, and Sweida has been largely spared in Syria's 11-year war, facing and repelling sporadic jihadi attacks. Still, like the rest of the country, the area has struggled to come to grips with the economic crisis worsened by Western sanctions, rampant inflation, a plummeting currency and the coronavirus pandemic.

Locals have said they are angered by the corruption and growing inequality they have witnessed under Assad, chanting "we want to live in dignity," while carrying placards reading "there is nothing left for the poor."

Syrian state media have not reported on the protests.

js/sms (AFP, Reuters)