Protests continue in Syria’s Suwayda against lifting subsidy from “ridiculous” ration card
SUWAYDA, Syria (North Press) – Since January 3, widespread protests have been staged in Syria’s southern city of Suwayda against the Syrian government’s decision to lift subsidy from the ration card off a wide segment of people.
Methods of protests varied in Suwayda. In the two towns of Qanawat and al-Ghariyah in the southern and eastern countryside of Suwayda February 2, people forced some state bakeries to close down while compelled other bakeries to sell bread with subsidized price according to the ration card.
however, in the village of Qanawat Atil on the same day, the protesters shut down the state institutions denying civil state employees to get into their offices.
In Salim town, the protesters blocked the Suwayda-Damascus highway. They set tires on fire in the street and prevented the vehicles to move towards the Damascus.
People of Nimrah town, northern countryside of Suwayda, also blocked the road leading to their town, prevented state employees to get to state directorates, prevented students to go to schools and they even closed down the state institutions in the villages of Baka Nimrah and al-Ghariyah Ariqa from the first day of the protest.
The government’s decision to lift subsidy from a wide segment of people “those who can afford goods with free price”, amid deteriorating living conditions, have raised discontent in all Syrian government-held areas, not only in Suwayda city.
On January 30, the Syrian government excluded thousands of Syrian families form the subsidized “ration card”.
percentage of the people excluded
Approximately 596,628 families, who used to benefit from the ration card, were ruled out (15% of the families that were granted the government subsidy, but the figures indicate more than 16%).
Hassan al-Hassan, a resident of Nimra town, was excluded from the ration card given that he owns a “very small” business.
al-Hassan said, “I am a state employee and though there are security and administrative pressures, yet I participated in the protest that blocked the road leading to the town.”
On Sunday, protests resumed in the towns and villages of Suwayda where the protesters blocked Damascus-Suwayda Highway.
The protesters gathered in front of Ain Zaman Shrine and then marched to the al-Seir Square in the city center chanting anti-government slogans and burning the ration cards describing them as “humiliation cards”.
Layth al-Bal’ous, son of Wahid al-Bal’ous who is founder of Men of Dignity Movement, warned against any assault on Suwayda people who demand their simplest necessities of life.
Today, the protesters blocked the Quriya-Nimra road which connects to the city of Suwayda.
Local sources told North Press that it is scheduled that protests will stage from Ain Zaman Shrine which is a Druze religious shrine.
Today’s protests
Today, the protesters marched to the state directorates to prevent attendance and then they crowded in front of the Grand Mosque in the city center.
During the last two days, people of Salim town blocked the highways and prevented vehicles to pass unless for emergency cases, and that was according to mediation of a local faction.
People of Raha town, east of Suwayda, and people of Baka town, south of Suwayda, held a sit-in in front of the national municipal building and prevented civil state employees to enter the building.
On the same day, protests were staged in the city center and the Men of Dignity Movement released a statement saying that the government’s decision aims to starvation of the Syrian people and their immigration.
The media office of Men of Dignity Movement told North Press that lifting subsidy is a part of a systematic work with the objective to strangle the Syrians.
Jaber Murad, a 29-year-old resident of Baka, said they denied civil state employees to get access to the municipal building and other state institutions in the town protesting against the government’s decision that reached the “loaf of bread”. “We have prevented the use of the ‘stupid’ card to buy bread.”
The Men of Dignity is a self-defense militia established after the outbreak of the Syrian war to defend the Suwayda area. Described as a terror organization by Russia, it took an initial position against the Syrian government in the early days of the war but did not engage in any armed struggle with government forces.