The province of As-Suwayda, in southern Syria, continues its peaceful movement against the Syrian regime, demanding political change and the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime since August 2023.

This movement, which expresses itself through daily demonstrations and protest stands, is clearly seen in the Friday protests every week, which bring together different social and cultural components to achieve the same demands.

Today, Friday, May 10, the people of As-Suwayda took to the main demonstration at al-Karamah Square, in the center of the province, raising the flag of the Syrian revolution and banners, some of which express the importance of the female component in the protests, “Our free women are a red line and a cornerstone.”

Protesters also raised pictures of the religious leaders in the province, including the spiritual leader of the Druze monotheists, alongside pictures of the al-Aql Sheikhs who blessed the peaceful movement and stood by the people of the province.

At the demonstration, protesters emphasized the importance of women’s participation and the role of women in the movement, while banners read: “The rooster crows but doesn’t bring the dawn,” “We will continue,” “Our screams have shaken the tyrant’s throne,” and “Our land is fertile and our voices will not be silenced,” calling for Assad’s departure and the overthrow of the regime.

Young men and women participate in the ongoing peaceful movement of As-Suwayda since August 2023 with the participation of various community components – May 10, 2024 (Enab Baladi)

Local networks, such as “Suwayda 24” and “Al-Rased,” concerned with reporting news from the province, broadcast video recordings that accompanied the protests from the preparation stage to the arrival of delegations from villages, towns, and rural areas, in the demonstration which, as usual, saw active participation of trade, cultural, health sector assembly, teachers’ assembly, lawyers’ assembly, and engineers’ assembly in the province.

Since April 24, regime forces have pushed reinforcements to As-Suwayda consisting of buses carrying security forces elements from the capital Damascus, coinciding with the detention of officers by locals protesting the arrest of a university student, who was later released.

Last week, Al-Rased news website reported that five buses carrying soldiers, and eight vehicles with medium “Dushka” machine guns, arrived in the city, hours after military reinforcements consisting of four medium buses (vans) and two four-wheel drive “Hilux” vehicles.

These reinforcements were followed by others that arrived in the province in the days following the tension that prevailed in the area after the detention of regime forces officers by local groups.

Editor-in-chief of Al-Rased website, Suleiman Fakhr, said in a previous interview with Enab Baladi, that the reinforcements are part of the security movements carried out by the regime from time to time, which the people of the province have grown accustomed to.

Flags of the Syrian revolution raised in As-Suwayda’s peaceful protests – May 10, 2024 (Enab Baladi)