Demonstrators in Damascus Demand the Fall of the Regime

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SMN No. 15, March 15, 2011
A demonstration of around 200 people demanding the fall of the Syrian regime was brutally put down in Damascus today.

The protestors, who gathered in the central district of Hareeka and in the Souk El Hamidieh area in the old town of Damascus, shouted chants including  “God, Syria, Liberty”, “Peacefully, Peacefully” and “The Syrian people will not humiliated”.

Today’s demonstration was called for via Facebook, with March 15 described as the start date of the Syrian revolution.

The reporter covering the demonstration for Damascus Bureau said he saw people in plain clothes getting off police buses, cheering for the president and the regime. They then attacked and beat the demonstrators, with several arrests being made. The mobile phones of tens of demonstrators were confiscated to avoid videos and pictures being leaked to the media.

Nevertheless, some videos of the protests have already been posted on the internet, showing young men and women chanting, “Our souls and blood for Syria” and “Hey, Syrians, where are you?”

In one film, a man’s voice is heard saying, “This is the 15th of March uprising, the first uprising against the Syrian regime. We Allawites and Sunnis and all Syria’s groups demand the fall of the regime. I speak for the Allawite sect everywhere.

“Syrian women are heading the demonstration,” he continued. “The next demonstration will be in the area around the Umayyad mosque. Please participate in large numbers.”

A Facebook page also has been launched under the title of “Syria news”.

On Twitter there were reports about demonstrations in other Syrian cities as well, though this information could not be verified from independent sources.