'Go away Assad': Rare anti-government protests underway in southern Syria
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Transcript
00:00 Members of the Druze religious minority group turn out for the seventh day in a row, as
00:06 protests spread across government-held provinces in the south of Syria.
00:15 A government decision to end gasoline subsidies has compounded the woes of those living there
00:20 who were already suffering soaring prices and poor living conditions.
00:25 In the city of Suwayda, public transport is on strike and institutions are shut. Top spiritual
00:30 leaders have given their blessing for the rare, persistent protests.
00:35 "Our only demand is the peaceful transfer of authority so we get rid of this ruling
00:42 gang without any sedition or bloodshed. Please go away Assad. The matter is over."
00:51 Syria's interminable civil war has provoked an economic crisis and a currency collapse,
00:56 which President Bashar al-Assad blames on Western sanctions. Dissent is rising in areas
01:02 that once stood with Assad, like in Daraa province, which returned to government control
01:07 five years ago. It was the cradle of the 2011 uprising before peaceful protests there were
01:13 violently suppressed.
01:14 [BLANK_AUDIO]