The people of As-Suwayda took to the streets today, Friday, December 15, in a demonstration demanding political change and the overthrow of the Syrian regime for the 18th consecutive week.

A delegation from the Retired Officers Association participated in the protest for the second week, along with a delegation from the Engineers Union of As-Suwayda, according to local networks, including “Suwayda 24”.

The residents of the villages and towns also gathered in Al-Karama Square in the city center, which has become the venue for weekly popular protests demanding political change in Syria.

The protesters closed one of the headquarters of the party factions affiliated with the Ba’ath Party in the city of Shahba and erased its name, replacing it with an “educational headquarters,” according to the local “Al-Raased” network.

As in previous demonstrations, there was a noticeable female participation, with banners renewing the demand for the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution “2254” and criticizing the increase in medicine prices while emphasizing the continuity of the popular movement until reaching the goal.

The regime ignores

The official Syrian media, which is close to the regime, is ignoring the protests in As-Suwayda and is only covering a set of routine service news that is far from the demands of the uprising street.

On September 19, the representative of “Madafet al-Karamah, Dignity Guesthouse,” Laith al-Balous, son of the founder of the Men of Dignity movement, Sheikh Wahid al-Balous, and the second spiritual leader of the Druze sect, Sheikh Hamoud al-Hinnawi, met in As-Suwayda and called for the “National Salvation Conference” to be held, starting from As-Suwayda and extending to the rest of the Syrian provinces.

Sheikh Laith al-Balous previously told Enab Baladi that the idea of holding a “National Salvation Conference” is not new, as it was previously proposed by his father, Wahid al-Balous, in 2015 at the shrine of Sultan Pasha al-Atrash. He rejected holding conferences outside of Syria, like “Sochi,” “Geneva,” and “Astana,” considering that the Syrians are capable of holding a national conference that brings them together.

The “Political Body” in As-Suwayda issued its first statement on September 15 from the heart of the protest square in Al-Karama Square in the center of As-Suwayda city in southern Syria, in coordination with the spiritual leader of the Druze sect, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri.

The spiritual leadership of the Druze sect also supported the protests, as Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri attended the meeting with protesters in the town of Qanawat in the countryside of As-Suwayda during the early days of the demonstrations on August 21, expressing his support for the peaceful movement.