Syria Hit by Unrest, 4 Killed Over the Weekend

Unrest in Syria (activistnews.blogspot.com)

The unrest wave that engulfed the entire Arab world in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula has reached Syria, a country so far protected from the protests against governments that had been in office for decades.

For a while it seemed that Syria would be spared because of the more flexible democratic ways it had, but it only took the killing of a man on Sunday, as the security forces opened fire on protestors, for thousands of demonstrators to march through the Syrian city of Deraa, calling for greater freedoms.

Unrest in Syria (life.com)

The violence broke out last week, on Friday, and has been going on ever since on different levels.

The intervention of the security forces led to four people to be killed on Friday alone. The protestors set buildings on fire, including the building of the Baath Party, the party in power.

France has condemned the violence in Syria over the weekend and the killing and possible injuring of those who were protesting.

French Foreign Minister spokesman urged the Syrian authorities to release all those imprisoned in the three-day protests.

On Monday, riot police with batons was reported to have dispersed people who were demonstrating against government.

Those who participated in the funeral of Raed al-Kerat, the 23-year young man who was killed on Sunday, chanted slogans against corruption in their country, but unlike other places in the Arab world they did not protest against the presidential regime, handed over from father to son.

It is said that Bashir al-Assad, whose party, Baath, has been ruling the country for more than 50 years, tolerates some dissent in the country in order to keep at least a façade of democracy.