Demonstrators in the city of As-Suwayda, southern Syria, removed a large picture of the father of the head of the Syrian regime, Hafez al-Assad, decades old, from Karama Square, and destroyed a statue of his head, in conjunction with the entry of their popular protests against the Syrian regime into its third week.
Dozens of protesters gathered in Karama Square in the center of As-Suwayda on Monday for the sixteenth day in a row, and chanted slogans calling for the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his regime, as they chanted: “Freedom forever, against you, Assad.”
The demonstrators stood in the center of the square for a minute of silence for the soul of the sheikh of the sect, Wahid al-Balous and his companions, on the anniversary of their death in a double bombing in the city of As-Suwayda in 2015. The Syrian regime, the Iranian “Revolutionary Guard” and the Lebanese Hezbollah are behind the two bombings, according to what his son Laith al-Balous confirmed in a previous interview. with “Cities”.
After the end of a minute of silence, the protesters chanted slogans calling for revenge for Al-Balous and his comrades from Al-Assad, and chanted: “The blood of Al-Balous.. the lion’s head is replaced.”
A video clip, broadcast by the local “Suwayda 24” network, showed protesters entering the General Organization for Social Insurance building in Karama Square, before destroying a large picture of Hafez al-Assad on the front of the building, dating back decades, according to the network.
Another clip showed protesters destroying a statue of Hafez al-Assad’s head in the heart of the square, in a scene similar to what the Syrians did with the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in March 2011, in a number of areas that include statues of Hafez al-Assad inside or on its outskirts.
The scene of removing pictures of Assad, the father and the son, from the facades of buildings or on the roads is repeated in the cities and villages of As-Suwayda governorate, in a process that activists called “cleaning”, and they continue to close the headquarters of the “Baath” party.
The demonstrators raised banners expressing their demands, represented by the departure of Assad and his regime, the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, the release of detainees in the regime’s prisons and intelligence cellars, as well as the demands of freedom, dignity and justice.
Dozens of demonstrators toured the streets of the city of Shahba, north of As-Suwayda governorate, chanting slogans calling for Assad’s departure, before the crowds headed to Karama Square to participate in the main demonstration.
And on Sunday night, the demonstrators set up a tent in the middle of Al-Seer Square, as an affirmation of their continuation of the demonstration until their demands for political change and the departure of the Syrian regime are met. They also staged an evening demonstration that included dozens of activists in the As-Suwayda governorate.
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2023-09-04 18:43:47
