Protests continue in Syria Druze region
Now Lebanon/September 08/15
BEIRUT – A new demonstration has rocked Syria’s Druze-populated Suweida region following the assassination Friday of anti-regime cleric Sheikh Waheed Balaous, which came days after the start of an anti-corruption protest movement. Thousands of Balaous’ supporters gathered Monday in Suweida’s Municipal Stadium to mourn the leader of the Sheikhs of Dignity movement, who was killed by an IED that targeted his convoy. The explosion that killed him was followed minutes later by a car bombing that left over 20 dead. After leaving the Municipal Stadium, the mourners marched on the province’s administrative headquarters, the Suweida Serail, where the grassroots “We Are Being Choked” movement held a number of protests last week against high prices and corruption. Conflicting reports have emerged over the events outside the Serail, which occurred amid efforts by the regime to tightly control news coming out of the province, where internet services have been cut off since last week.
Pro-Damascus Al-Akhbar admitted to the regime’s internet blackout, reporting that service had been cut “so that no place will be left for the rumors being broadcast over social media from suspicious pages operated in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and occupied Palestine.” The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put out a terse report on the protest, saying only that calm had “settled over the city” on Monday amid an atmosphere of tension, as demonstrators gathered outside the Serail while gunfire could be heard in the area.
Opposition version of Serail protest
A pro-rebel outlet said that the protesters had expelled officials working in the Serail, climbed onto the roof and destroyed two pictures Hafez and Bashar al-Assad hanging from the top of the building. “During the protest, regime supporters led by Oday Zahreddine [the son of a well-known Druze general in the Syrian Army] tried to vandalize public property,” All4Syria claimed.
“Gunfire was also heard, but there were no reports of injuries.” The outlet added that during the demonstration “one of the Sheikhs of Dignity went up the balcony of the Governorate Building and delivered a rousing speech to the protesters.” According to the report, the man who delivered the speech “gave the regime 48 hours to hand over…, Wafed Abu Tarabeh,” who Damascus on Sunday announced was an Al-Nusra Front member, and had confessed to killing Balaous.
Although Balaous’ movement has not officially blamed anyone for his killing, the cleric warned prior to his assassination that Syrian political security chief Ali Mamlouk was seeking to “liquidate” his enemies. Another anti-regime outlet, Al-Souria Net, said that the protest had come after a general strike in most parts of Suweida, and that opposition activists had called “on residents of the city and the surrounding villages to take part in the funeral.” Both All4Syria and Al-Souria Net claimed that protesters had chanted slogans calling for the downfall of the regime, which would represent an unprecedented escalation of Druze opposition demands.
Suweida residents have generally maintained an autonomous attitude, protesting against enlistment into the Syrian army to fight in far-off areas of the country while at the same time expressing fears over the threat of Islamist encroachment on the southern province. No confirmable videos of the Monday protest outside the governorate HQ were circulated online, while regime outlets did not broadcast the procession either, with opposition outlets saying that Balaous’ supporters barred state TV from filming the funeral.
Pro-regime version of Serail protest
Pro-regime news sources admitted that the Balaous funeral procession had reached the Suweida Serail, but gave a different version of the ensuing events. The Suweida Now Facebook page said that the governorate HQ was attacked by “unidentified persons who infiltrated the funeral procession.” “As a result most shops were closed,” the outlet added, without making any mention of a general strike in the city. “There were no injuries at the Serail and the situation has become calm again; however, shops [have remained] closed [in case] acts of vandalism [take place].” Meanwhile, Al-Akhbar claimed that “the funeral of Sheikh Balaous and the other martyrs passed in silence and sadness.” Sources told the Lebanese newspaperthat during the funeral procession “the state facilitated the arrival of a number of demonstrators to the [area] in front of the Serail.” The state then “broke up the demonstration after a short time without any problems.” The daily also quoted a source in Balaous’ Sheikhs of Dignity as saying that the group has not yet taken a stance regarding who perpetrated its leader’s assassination. “Our stance has not been finalized yet and the most important thing at the moment is to calm [the situation] and help the province avoid sedition.”
Internet blackout
Internet has been cut in Suweida since Tuesday when the “We Are Being Choked” movement organized a demonstration outside the government Serail that saw hundreds of protesters storm the building. Not much is known about the activist group—which announced its public presence August 30 via Facebook—or whether it is linked to the Sheikhs of Dignity movement.
Soaring prices, rising crime and poor infrastructure have all stoked already growing levels of popular discontent in Suweida, sparking the formation of “We Are Being Strangled,” which insists it is a social, non-political, movement. The group’s Facebook page has not been updated since September 4, several hours before Balaous’ assassination.
