Protesters in southern Syria mark 1st anniversary of anti-regime protests

By Esref Musa

TEL ABYAD, Syria (AA) - Hundreds of protestors in southern Syria gathered Friday to commemorate the first anniversary of anti-regime protests against the Bashar al-Assad government.

Local sources said the demonstrators, rallying in Honor Square in the Druze majority city of As-Suwayda, carried flags of the Free Syrian Army and the Druze community.

They held signs with slogans such as, “Peace for all Syrians”, “Freedom” and “We continue on our path.”

- Protests in As-Suwayda

Protests in As-Suwayda first erupted Aug. 16, 2023, one day after the regime announced a fuel price hike.

That sparked widespread anger, leading to protests across the province.

In response to the government’s economic policies and arbitrary practices, drivers halted work, shopkeepers shuttered stores and armed groups formed by residents blocked main roads leading to Damascus.

Demonstrators tore down and removed photos of Assad, his brother Basel, and their father, the late President Hafez Assad, from government buildings.

They also expelled employees of the ruling Baath Party from the province.

The Assad regime deployed military forces to As-Suwayda in an attempt to suppress the protests.

Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in the city, warned, however, against escalating tensions, emphasizing on social media that the protesters would “not back down and that peaceful demonstrations would continue.”

Clashes between the military and local armed groups continue to erupt sporadically in As-Suwayda.