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12-10-2011, por Al Jazeera
Thousands rally in support of Syria's Assad
Tens of thousands take to streets of Damascus in solidarity with Syrian president, chanting slogans against US and EU
Tens of thousands of Syrians have rallied in central Damascus in show of support for President Bashar al-Assad, who is battling a six-month uprising against his rule in which the UN says about 2,900 people have been killed.
"America, out, out, Syria will stay free," chanted the crowd on Wednesday, many of them carrying pictures of Assad and Syrian flags.
They also shouted slogans warning the European Union not to intervene in their country. "God, Syria and Bashar," they sang.
State television described the government-backed rally as a "million-strong march ... supporting national independence and rejecting foreign intervention".
At the start of the demonstration, a man holding the flags of Russia and China, which vetoed a European-drafted resolution against Syria at the UN last week, flew over the crowd, suspended from a helicopter by rope.
It was the biggest demonstration for months in the centre of the capital, which has been relatively untouched by the protests which have rocked Damascus suburbs and other parts of the country.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Nir Rosen, journalist and author, said: "We might not like to think that but authoritarian regimes sometimes have popular support.
"In the whole of the Arab countries, certainly the Syrian regime has the largest base of popular support and much of the country still supports him [Assad].
"Not only Alawite and the Christian community, but even Sunni Bourgeoisie in Damascus and Aleppo support President Assad."
"They may be afraid of the unknown, or the civil war, or they may genuinely believe that Assad has done good stuff for the country.
"The regime is kind of a marriage between Alawite-dominated security forces and the Sunni business class.
"See the Iraq scenario, Christians of Iraq were destroyed, they came to Syria in large numbers. So, Christians fear what may happen to them?
"The opposition has failed to reach out successfully to Alawites, Christians and Druze. Many of them believe there will be civil war should the regime fall, and I think it is quite likely."
2011-10-13
