Damascus University staff protest after armed attack on faculty dean
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Dozens of professors and department heads at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Damascus University staged on Monday a protest, condemning violence and demanding greater protection for academic institutions following an armed assault on the faculty dean.
North Press correspondent reported that the demonstration took place inside the university campus, where participants denounced the attack and emphasized the need to safeguard academic and administrative personnel and uphold the sanctity of educational spaces.
Protesters described the incident as a direct threat to academic life, declaring that “the university is not a place for violence or personal disputes, but a platform for knowledge, dialogue, and mutual respect. Any attack on one of its members is an attack on the entire academic community.”
Participants called on university authorities and security forces to conduct an immediate investigation, bring the perpetrators to justice, and implement effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future — ensuring the safety of faculty, staff, and students across Syrian universities.
On Sunday, unidentified gunmen stormed the office of Ali al-Lahham, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and opened fire with machine guns and hand grenades. One grenade reportedly failed to detonate before the assailants fled the scene.