Current:Home > Back3 wounded in southern Syria after shots fired at protesters at ruling party’s local headquarters-LoTradeCoin
3 wounded in southern Syria after shots fired at protesters at ruling party’s local headquarters
View Date:2024-12-23 21:39:16
BEIRUT (AP) — Security guards from the Syrian president’s Baath party on Wednesday fired shots at protesters trying to raid its local headquarters in southern Syria, wounding at least three people, activists said.
The incident marked a major escalation in anti-government protests over the past month that have otherwise been calm.
Anti-government protests have rocked the Druze-majority Sweida province over the past month. Hundreds continue to gather in demonstrations that were initially driven by the war-torn country’s spiraling economy and skyrocketing inflation but quickly shifted focus to calling for the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government.
Protesters have raided and closed offices of Assad’s Baath party across the province and have torn images of Assad. On September 4, protesters smashed a statue of Assad’s father and predecessor, Hafez, as they they marked the 2015 assassination of a prominent anti-government Druze leader. Some of the offices have since reopened.
In video shared by media collective Suwayda 24, dozens of protesters could be seen trying to raid a Baath party office in Sweida city. Some fled as gunshots from the building intensified, while chanting “peaceful protest.” One protester held the multi-colored Druze religion flag.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, protesters and religious figures gathered at the building’s courtyard and continued protesting.
Syria’s economy has been struggling after years of conflict, corruption and mismanagement, and Western-led sanctions over accusations of government involvement in war crimes and the illicit narcotics trade. The United Nations estimates that about 90% of the population lives in poverty.
Syria’s Druze community has mostly isolated itself from the country’s uprising-turned-conflict, now in its 13th year.
veryGood! (5183)
Related
- Garth Brooks wants to move his sexual assault case to federal court. How that could help the singer.
- Rise of Energy-Saving LEDs in Lighting Market Seen as Unstoppable
- Parents raise concerns as Florida bans gender-affirming care for trans kids
- One of America’s 2 Icebreakers Is Falling Apart. Trump’s Wall Could Block Funding for a New One.
- Falling scaffolding plank narrowly misses pedestrians at Boston’s South Station
- Kentucky high court upholds state abortion bans while case continues
- California child prodigy on his SpaceX job: The work I'm going to be doing is so cool
- Dear Life Kit: My husband is living under COVID lockdown. I'm ready to move on
- Gerry Faust, former Notre Dame football coach, dies at 89
- 14 Creepy, Kooky, Mysterious & Ooky Wednesday Gifts for Fans of the Addams Family
Ranking
- BITFII Introduce
- Enbridge’s Kalamazoo River Oil Spill Settlement Greeted by a Flood of Criticism
- Avalanches Menace Colorado as Climate Change Raises the Risk
- Spinal stimulation can improve arm and hand movement years after a stroke
- Mandy Moore Captures the Holiday Vibe With These No Brainer Gifts & Stocking Stuffer Must-Haves
- Wisconsin’s Struggling Wind Sector Could Suffer Another Legislative Blow
- Standing Rock: Tribes File Last-Ditch Effort to Block Dakota Pipeline
- Prince Harry Shared Fear Meghan Markle Would Have Same Fate As Princess Diana Months Before Car Chase
Recommendation
-
When does 'Dune: Prophecy' come out? Release date, cast, where to watch prequel series
-
DOE Explores a New Frontier In Quest for Cheaper Solar Panels
-
U.S. Marine arrested in firebombing of Planned Parenthood clinic in California
-
How financial counseling at the pediatrician's office can help families thrive
-
Jax Taylor Breaks Silence on Brittany Cartwright Dating His Friend Amid Their Divorce
-
Study Finds Rise in Methane in Pennsylvania Gas Country
-
Trump’s Repeal of Stream Rule Helps Coal at the Expense of Climate and Species
-
5 dogs killed in fire inside RV day before Florida dog show