Syria Protests Spread into Capital

 The protests against the dictatorship in Syria are getting more serious. Opponents of Ba'athist thug Bashar al-Assad have very bravely launched a series of demonstrations. This comes even as Syrian security forces, aided by Iranian Revolutionary Guards, have killed over 200 civilians and hesitant soliders.

Now we have word that the protests have spread in large scale in Damascus for the first time. There were sporadic reports of such demonstrations yesterday, but they appear to be growing.

In Deraa, "demonstrations came out from every mosque in the city, including the Omari mosque... The number of people is above 10,000 protesters so far," an activist said by phone.

Even Assad's token moves don't seem to be stopping the crowds:

The younger Assad's promises of reform, including a salary increase for public workers and a reconsideration of emergency rule in place for 48 years, has been dismissed by protesters hungry for change.

His decision last Thursday to grant citizenship to tens of thousands of stateless Kurds, as well as announcements about lifting a ban on veiled teachers and closing Syria's sole casino, failed to prevent protests erupting the next day.

I hope that Assad's days are numbered but he runs the tightest dictatorship in the region. His regime is a near-copy of that of Saddam Hussein's, even down to the ruling party. Further, without American diplomatic or military support, Assad will not relent like Hosni Mubarak.

Cross-posted on WorldThreats.

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