SYRIA: Video footage said to show large Friday protests

 

Video footage claiming to show protest rallies in Syria on Friday, a day on which activists had called for mass demonstrations to honor those killed during two weeks of protests, have surfaced on the Internet. Quoting activists. the pan-Arab news network Al Arabiya reported that protests broke out in three major Syrian cities after Friday prayers; other reports said thousands of people had taken to the streets in some areas.

The clip above is said to show a protest Friday around a mosque in the area of Kafar Susse on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, Damascus. Crowds are seen chanting that the Syrian people are united, and proclaiming their support for Deraa, the town that is at the epicenter of the demonstrations and which has witnessed deadly protests.

 

Above is a clip said to show a demonstration on Friday in Qamishli, a town near the Syrian-Turkish border that has a significant Kurdish population, with protesters marching down a street and chanting the "Syrian people are united" and "freedom."

 

The video above is said to have been filmed Friday in the Syrian seaport city of Lattakia, showing a crowd marching while chanting "There is no God by Allah and the martyr is beloved by God."

 

Above, a video said to depict a protest march in the town of Amouda, also on Friday.

-- Alexandra Sandels in Beirut

Video credit: YouTube

Comments

[Freedom Seeker]

We've been under Assad's family dictatorship for over 42 years. We want to be free, it's 21st century. The father massacred over 50 thousand people in Hama 1982 and jailed tens of thousands.

[Lilly Martin]

I am an American who has been living in Latakia, Syria for 20 years. The video here shows a few people in one street in town who are asking for freedom. However, when those few people were asked by bystanders what it is they want to achieve, they have no response. In fact many of them are not even Syrians. So why are they in Latakia? It appears they have been paid by some outside group, who wants to destabilize Syria. For the last week the population of Latakia has been scared, staying at home, the schools are shut, the University is shut, most stores are shut. We are a small city under seige. But we are not being harrased by protesters asking for more Freedom. No, we are under attack by gangs of paid hitmen and terrorists who have come into the country on a mission to disrupte the peace.
The Army and Police have been wonderful. They are patroling the streets and keeping the peace. In fact they are not firing at protesters. They are under orders to allow protests and not fire at people. However, these terrorists who have infiltrated the country have weapons and have killed many , many policemen. There was a news article in which it was reported that 12 persons were killed, and 10 of the 12 were policemen. Now anyone reading that report should question why is it mostly policemen in Latakia are being killed? These terrorists have killed innocent people protecting their own property. There were snipers killing people, and this is all the work of an international plan to disrupt Syria's normal peaceful existance.
Since when do peaceful protesters have heavy weapons?
I have been here 20 years and have never witnessed anything like this. I am a native Californian. I would caution all news readers and journalists and editors to verify the source of stories and videos. I have personally observed TV video coverage of protests in Syria in which the video footage used was from Egypt. I have also personally observed TV video coverage of protests in Syria in which the video coverage was taken directly from Pro-Syrian Government rallys in support of President Assad. Let me give you a hint: if you see people with Syrian flags waving and photos of the President, then you can be assured they are in support of him, not the opposite. There is alot of misinformation being put out in the media as truth, when in fact it is lies. I blame some of the misinformation on the fact that many news organizations don't have reporters on the scene. Using free videos sent in by amatuers holding mobile phone cameras must be suspect. You have no way to verify the accuracy or the motivation of the person filming.