Crowds of protesters gathered in al-Karama Square in the heart of As-Suwayda city to join the weekly demonstration of the province’s residents, demanding freedom and political change, and the fall of the regime, every Friday.
Today’s demonstration in As-Suwayda, on Friday, May 3, witnessed attendance and participation from the residents of the province, despite the military movements conducted by the regime in the area for about a week, which were previously interpreted as a preparation to suppress the popular movement of the province.
The local website Suwayda 24, which specializes in covering news of the province, published video recordings showing the influx of protesters to the main square in the middle of As-Suwayda, and the raising of slogans calling for the fall of the Syrian regime.
As in previous demonstrations, the flag of the Syrian revolution was present today in As-Suwayda.
The local site via Facebook, added that protesters from various villages and cities of the province flocked to al-Karama Square, demanding freedom and the downfall of the regime, in response to the recent military reinforcements sent by the latter.
The local page al-Rased also via Facebook, published photos and video recordings from various villages and towns of the province showing preparations to head to the central demonstration in As-Suwayda city.
Since April 24, the Syrian regime forces have pushed reinforcements to As-Suwayda province consisting of buses carrying security forces 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 reported that five buses carrying soldiers, and eight Dushka medium machine-gun mounted vehicles, arrived in the city, preceded hours earlier by military reinforcements consisting of four medium buses (vans) and two four-wheel-drive vehicles of the “Hilux” type.
These reinforcements were followed by more brought to the province over the following days amid the tension that prevailed in the area after the detention of regime forces’ officers by local groups.
The editor-in-chief of al-Rased, Suleiman Fakhr, previously told Enab Baladi that the reinforcements are part of the security maneuvers that the regime conducts from time to time, which the locals are accustomed to.
He added that escalation is unlikely, but the local factions in As-Suwayda are preparing for a possible escalation on their part.
The peaceful popular protests demanding the fall of the regime in As-Suwayda province, southern Syria, continue for about nine months on a daily and weekly basis, during which the locals gather in one demonstration to express their demands.
A wide range of the province’s residents participate in the protests without interruption, including students attending universities in other provinces.