ALBAWABA - Hundreds of Syrians have taken to the streets of Daraa to protest against declining living conditions and the Bashar al-Assad regime, with protestors raising the Syrian revolutionary flag and chanting, "Bashar … Go! We want to live!".
A nationwide strike was declared in the Druze-majority city of Suweida, and hundreds of demonstrators yelled anti-regime slogans.
Protests erupted when the Syrian currency fell to an all-time low of 15,000 Syrian pounds per US dollar on Tuesday, August 15, down from 7,000 at the start of the year. The Syrian government also raised gas prices this week and has gradually reduced subsidies for essential commodities such as heating and cooking fuel.
UPDATE
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has announced the closure of roads and government departments in As-Suwayda in protest against the deteriorating economic situation.
Protests have been taking place in Daraa on and off since the start of Syria's economic collapse in 2019, with only occasional violent intervention by regime forces.
"The demonstrators don't have specific demands yet, although the slogans they chanted yesterday were primarily political. They hold the head of the Syrian regime responsible for the deterioration of living conditions," Ryan Marouf, an activist and editor of Suwayda 24, told The New Arab.
The people of Daraa have issued a statement expressing solidarity with an opposition group called "Association for Free Men of the Arab Mountain" reading: "The Association will work from this moment forward to prepare all methods to protect our free people and support the general strike … and prevent any security chaos,".
A picture of a piece of paper held up in front of a Syrian government building was posted on the 10th of August Movement page on Facebook reading: "The Syrian people, regardless of sect, say enough humiliation. The future of our youth is not a game to be played in your hands,".
Syrian authorities have yet to respond directly to protests, but activists are bracing themselves based on previous experiences with security forces using force to suppress their protests.
