Armed individuals attack activists during peaceful protest in Damascus
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Syrian activists said a group of men assaulted them with bladed weapons and wooden batons during a peaceful protest held in front of the People’s Assembly building in Damascus on Friday.
The Syrian activists organized the protest to condemn the ongoing violence in Suwayda, southern Syria.
Syrian civil society members called for the protest, a silent sit-in, to demand an end to the bloodshed in Suwayda and to advocate for dialogue and national reconciliation.
“Activists were subjected to verbal and physical assaults outside the People’s Assembly during a silent protest calling for an end to the bloodshed in Syria and for the opening of communication and dialogue channels,” activist and journalist Zeina Shahla said.
In a Facebook post, Shahla added that a group of assailants armed with wooden sticks attacked the demonstrators as they dispersed at the end of the protest.
“They pursued us even as we tried to avoid confrontation and leave the area without engaging in any clashes,” she wrote.
Videos circulating online show the attackers shouting insults and accusing the protesters of treason. Zeina Shahla herself was reportedly subjected to both verbal and physical assault, as documented in the footage.
In her post, Shahla called for the enactment of “clear and firm legislation against the dominant culture of incitement” and urged the launch of a broad national dialogue to help the country escape what she described as “a dark tunnel.”
Zeina Shahla, a prominent Syrian activist and journalist, had previously been detained by the former Syrian regime due to her political activism. She currently serves as an advisor on the National Committee for the Missing, a body established in May by Ahmad al-Sharaa, the Transitional President of Syria.
The Syrian government has not yet issued a statement regarding the incident.