DARAA, Syria (North Press) – For the last couple of days Daraa Governorate, south Syria, has been witnessing protests in many cities and towns. Up to now, the demonstrations have taken place in four spots in the region, with activists stressing to continue calling on people to participate in the protests, which have been gradually growing.
No return
One of the organizers of the demonstrations in the western countryside of Daraa told North Press on condition of anonymity, “Protests will continue and there is no intention to stop them now, despite the circumstances and the problems we are going through.”
For now, he said, “We are not going to see demonstrations similar to those that took place in 2011, but in the coming period we will witness demonstrations in large numbers.”
He added that the reason that keeps people away from protesting again is that “most people are convinced that protests serve no purpose and that armed struggle is the only way to get rid of the regime.”
The small scale of protests, he noted, can be attributed to “the immigration of young men, especially activists, and the killing of so many of them.”
He said that protesters are threatened on a daily basis by the Syrian government security branches. “We receive calls to halt the protests, and daily reports are filed against the organizers.”
He pointed out that demonstrators are calling for “releasing detainees, revealing the fate of forcibly disappeared people and overthrowing the regime which is the reason for turning Syria into what it is now.”
Dire living conditions
Abdullah al-Asaad, head of Rasd Center for Strategic Studies, told North Press, “The protests in Daraa makes it clear that people have given up on Bashar al-Assad’s regime due to the dire living conditions and the disrespect they feel in the presence of this regime.”
“The tyrannical Syrian regime has not sought to do good for these people. The difficult living conditions are not the reason behind the outbreak of demonstrations, but rather the authoritarianism and the iron fist that the regime still follows,” he added.
Al-Asaad believed that “All measures taken against Bashar al-Assad by the US, with the last one being the Captagon Act, will boost the momentum of demonstrations and spread them in all cities and towns of Daraa.”
The politician expected the US Act to cripple al-Assad and help Syrians get rid of this corrupt group that controls the country.
He noted that the “Syrian regime will not change its way in dealing with the protests; it will handle them with an iron fist.”
Will not reach an armed conflict
Mahmoud al-Afandi, Secretary General of the Syrian Diplomatic Popular Movement, told North Press, “The protests taking place in the Syrian south are something natural due to the deteriorating economic conditions, especially with the beginning of winter.”
Al-Afandi ruled out the prospect of the protests turning into an armed struggle “due to the lack of weapons.”
He said that the Syrian south witnesses protests because the region is located on the border, and “demonstrations always start from border regions because of the external support.”
He believed that no one is entitled to protest for political reasons, and that “the slogan ‘people want to overthrow the regime’ will not change anything because it is an external slogan and, furthermore, the fall of the regime will not resolve the economic situation.”
He pointed out that the Syrian opposition was “forced” to reconcile in Daraa with the government. In Suwayda, however, there is no need because “there has been an agreement between the Syrian government and the governorate’s community leaders.”
However, al-Afandi said, the Syrian government does have a problem which is not being able to address the economic crisis.
He blamed the government for not fighting a group of capitalist dealers who, according to him, stand behind the economic collapse.
In addition, “The Syrian president has not held those dealers and profiteers accountable.”