Protesters demanding an end to authoritarian governance have effectively closed the headquarters of the ruling Baath party in the southwestern Syrian city of Sweida. Civic activists and witnesses report that the ongoing protests, now in their second week, exhibit no signs of diminishing.
Young demonstrators, equipped with welding equipment, sealed the entrances to the building belonging to the party led by President Bashar al Assad. The Baath party, in power since a coup in 1963, has been a symbol of authority.
For the seventh consecutive day, hundreds of individuals took to the streets in peaceful protests, voicing their concerns about deteriorating living conditions driven by steep gasoline prices. Their demands include substantial political reforms.
In the main square, where prominent Druze spiritual leaders have sanctioned the protests while not explicitly supporting the call to end five decades of Assad family rule, chants of “Step down Bashar, we want to live in dignity” resonated.
A significant economic crisis, coupled with a collapsed local currency, has led to soaring costs of essential goods and food. The government of Assad attributes this crisis to Western sanctions.
The increasing dissent within areas that were once loyal to Assad poses a considerable challenge to his established authority, especially after his victory in a protracted civil war with substantial assistance from Russia and Iran.
In a preemptive measure to address mounting calls for strikes and demonstrations regarding living conditions, officials have heightened security in coastal regions, the ancestral heartland of Assad’s Alawite minority sect, which wields substantial control over the military and security forces.
In the province, protesters have reportedly closed numerous local branches of the Baath party, whose members hold prominent government positions. This action has prompted party members to flee, according to local residents.
In a remarkable act of defiance within regions under Assad’s control, demonstrators tore down posters of the President, challenging the personality cult that the party has cultivated around him and his late father.
In Sweida, a city with a population of over 100,000, the majority of public institutions have closed, public transport is halted, and businesses are partially operational, as reported by local civic activists and residents.
Ryan Marouf, an activist and editor of the local Suwayda 24 news website, describes the ongoing situation as “unprecedented civil disobedience” with wide-ranging support from the Druze community and its spiritual leaders.
While the authorities have refrained from acknowledging the growing protests, private sources suggest that security forces have been instructed to maintain a low profile and have even withdrawn from certain checkpoints to avoid potential clashes.
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