Rare protests in Syria calling for the ouster of the authoritarian government have gathered momentum over the past two weeks, in scenes reminiscent of the Arab Spring uprising that began more than 12 years ago and morphed into a multi sided war. Hundreds of people have protested in southern Syria to urge President Bashar al-Assad to step down, capping nearly two weeks of demonstrations that had erupted over poor living conditions but have spiralled into renewed calls for political change.
#Syria #SyriaProtests #BasharAlAssad #SyriaProtestsAgainstAssad #SyriaGovernment #SyriaProtestsNews #AntiAssadProtests #SyriaEconomicCrisis
~HT.98~PR.152~ED.155~
#Syria #SyriaProtests #BasharAlAssad #SyriaProtestsAgainstAssad #SyriaGovernment #SyriaProtestsNews #AntiAssadProtests #SyriaEconomicCrisis
~HT.98~PR.152~ED.155~
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 Rare protests in Syria calling for the ouster of the authoritarian government have gathered
00:15 momentum over the past two weeks in scenes reminiscent of the Arab Spring uprising that
00:20 began more than 12 years ago and morphed into a multi-sided war.
00:24 Hundreds of people have protested in southern Syria to urge President Bashar al-Assad to
00:29 step down, capping nearly two weeks of demonstrations that had erupted over poor living conditions
00:34 but have spiralled into renewed calls for political change.
00:39 The protests grew out of anger over increasing economic hardships that boiled over into
00:44 demands for a political settlement to the war, which is largely at a stalemate.
00:49 They have grown daily, drawing hundreds of people who at times have torn down the ubiquitous
00:54 postures of President Bashar al-Assad and shuttered offices of the political party loyal
00:59 to him.
01:00 "Bashar out, Syria free!" shouted a large crowd on Friday in the city of Suwaida.
01:05 The demonstrations began in the south and spread even briefly, touching the capital
01:09 Damascus and another major city, Aleppo.
01:12 Most are in government-held areas, far from the frontlines of the war in the northwest,
01:16 where there is still sporadic fighting between government and opposition forces.
01:21 Similar fervent rallies have also been reported in Aleppo, Daraa, Deir Ezzor and Jabaleh.
01:27 Demonstrators are calling for sweeping political changes while decrying deteriorating living
01:32 standards, the continued incarceration of political dissidents, rampant corruption and
01:37 poor governance.
01:39 The immediate trigger for the protests was the government's decision early this month
01:42 to cut fuel subsidies, a move that sent shockwaves through a populace already grappling with
01:47 the precipitous decline of the Syrian lira.
01:50 As the value of the currency plummeted, so did the people's patience.
01:54 Friday's turnout was large despite apparent divisions within the Druze leadership over
01:57 the demonstrations.
01:58 Some Druze sheikhs have criticized protesters, called for al-Assad to step down and say that
02:03 any improvement to the socio-economic situation must come through dialogue.
02:07 Dozens of protesters are gathered on Friday in the neighborhood province of Daraa, where
02:11 the 2011 protests kicked off.
02:13 They carried the three-star flag emblematic of Syria's uprising, as well as signs criticizing
02:18 the role of Iran, a key al-Assad ally.
02:21 More than a decade of conflict has left Syria divided and mired in economic crisis.
02:26 Mr. al-Assad has managed over the years to wrest back control over the vast majority
02:30 of the country, but opposition forces and US-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters still control
02:35 swaths of the north and east.
02:37 Anger in government-controlled territory has been building for years as the economic situation
02:41 deteriorates.
02:42 About 90% of Syrians are living below the poverty line, and about 70%, i.e. 15.3 million
02:47 people, need humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations.
02:51 The recent protests began in the southern province of Suida, home to the country's
02:55 Druze sect, one of the many religious minorities in Syria.
02:58 The Druze largely sat out the 2011 Arab Spring uprising against Mr. al-Assad's rule, which
03:03 transformed within months from peaceful demonstrations into an armed uprising against an increasingly
03:08 brutal crackdown on dissent.
03:11 But the Druze did not refuse to send their young men to mandatory military service, so
03:14 as not to be party to violence against Mr. al-Assad's opponents.
03:26 [BLANK_AUDIO]