protest in As-Suwayda rejecting Damascus authority policies

As part of a series of escalating popular protests reflecting growing anger at the policies of the Damascus authority, the people of As-Suwayda city protested in al-Karama Square, where they raised banners that read "Al-Julani does not represent us," "From Daraa to the coast, the killer is one," "No to Turkish occupation," and "Maher is gone, and another Maher has come."

They also criticized the "Constitutional Declaration" and the appointment of al-Julani as "Governor," considering that a five-year term represents an attempt to legitimize a power imposed by force, without returning to the will of the people.

One of the lawyers participating in the protest confirmed that "al-Julani does not represent the people either intellectually or politically; rather, he represents a radical and terrorist ideology that serves narrow interests," accusing him of attempting to "bring the country back to the dark ages of intellectual thought.

He added that the announcement of the so-called "National Conference" and the subsequent appointment of ministers and representatives do not reflect the popular will, but rather continue to build a regime on a false basis.

For her part, activist Shahira Taroudi said: "We initially set out to overthrow the Assad regime and build a state of law that respects everyone. As for al-Julani, he has taken us back to the time of Ibn Taymiyyah," referring to the strict Salafi ideology. She added: "We insist that Syrian blood is one, and that the identity of Syrians is inclusive, not limited to a single color or ideology."

Basima al-Aqbani, one of the participants in the vigil, emphasized that "the nationalism that drove Syrians to revolution was for dignity and freedom, not to replace one authoritarian regime with another." She said, "The current transitional government represents only one color of the society's components, and there is an insult to minorities that we did not witness even during the previous regime." She called for a true democratic state, built on the foundations of equality and embracing all Syrians without discrimination.

Scenes of violence and tragedies were not absent from the protesters' discussions, as some of them pointed to the massacres committed in Banyas, Jableh, and Tartus on the Syrian coast, affirming that "sectarianism, fueled by extremist religious rhetoric, was a major cause of these disasters, which increased the animosity and hatred among the components of Syrian society."

Some protesters also pointed out that the 12 ministries formed by the Damascus authority were nothing but tools for domination and control over the liberated areas, without considering the people's demands or aspirations for justice and freedom.

T/S

ANHA