Syria labels Friday Day of Defiance

Syria labels Friday Day of Defiance

This Friday has been labelled as “Day of Defiance” by Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad’s opponents following the uprising against his rule in the face of the deadly crackdown that has drawn an international outcry. For the past seven weeks, activists have vowed to stage protests against the regime across the nation after the Friday prayers.

The president’s troops pulled out of the flashpoint town of Daraa in the south the protestor’s epicentre following a 10-day lockdown to quell the demonstrations that began three days after the unprecedented protest movement which began in Damascus on March 15. Reports confirm that 600 people were arrested in Daraa during the 10-day operation.

According to an activist reporting to AFP, dozens of armoured vehicles, including tanks, and troop reinforcements were deployed near Banias, he stated that "It looks like they are preparing to attack the town, like they did in Daraa, and there must be 100 tanks and troop transports on the highway between Homs and Hama.

Human rights groups confirm that the crackdown has killed more than 600 people, while 8,000 people have been jailed or gone missing.