LEBANON: Supporters of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad rally in Beirut

Record ID: 279213

  • Title: LEBANON: Supporters of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad rally in Beirut
  • Date: 28th March 2011
  • Summary: BEIRUT, LEBANON (MARCH 27, 2011) (REUTERS) WIDE OF PROTESTERS SYRIAN EMBASSY SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN CITIZEN SAYING: "We tell president Bashar al-Assad that we are with you forever and we discovered that the enemies of the country are the media." PHOTOS OF ASSAD/ SIGN "NO TO DIVISION, YES TO ASSAD'S SYRIA" (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ABED ELNASSER, SYRIAN CITIZEN, SAY
  • Embargoed: 12th April 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Lebanon, Lebanon
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA1AFRUDV8MQCXWXM49MKC8OR8R
  • Story Text: Dozens of Syrians living in Beirut staged a rally outside their embassy on Sunday (March 27).
    The men carried photos bearing the image of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and held up signs with the message: "No to division, yes to Assad's Syria."
    Assad is facing his deepest crisis in 11 years following his violent crackdown on anti-government demonstrators.
    On Sunday, refomist activists living abroad said Syrian security forces have killed six people in two days of anti-government protests in the key port city of Latakia.
    There were reports of more than 20 deaths in protests on Friday (March 25), mainly in the south, and medical officials say dozens of people have now been killed over the past week around Deraa alone.
    In a bid to placate a swelling protest movement, the government on Saturday (March 26) released 260 mostly Islamist prisoners.
    Those who took part during the rally in Beirut made it clear whose side they were on.
    "We tell President Bashar al-Assad that we are with you forever and we discovered that the enemies of the country are the media," said one protester.
    But there was one dissenting voice in the rally.
    "It's true that we liked him. But he killed our brothers with guns. Why is that? We used to like him because he stood against Israel. But now he's shooting his own people," said Abed Elnasser, a Syrian living in Beirut.
    President Assad made a public pledge on Thursday (March 24) to look into granting greater freedom and lifting emergency laws dating back to 1963, but failed to dampen the protests.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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