Syrian supporters of President Bashar al-Assad took to the streets in large demonstrations in several cities, as the regime and its supporters threw their weight behind the leader's offers of reform.
Opposition activists, who dismissed the president's pledges in a speech Monday as insufficient, also demonstrated on Tuesday, leading to the deaths of at least four people in three cities when security forces fired on protesters, according to activists.
Mr. Assad, in his first public address since April 16, promoted a process of national dialogue as a path to reform. Opposition leaders have said they wouldn't take part.
Assad supporters were out in force in Damascus, the Syrian capital,which has yet to see sustained, mass antiregime demonstrations. In a central square, thousands of people waved flags and portraits of Mr. Assad, chanting: "We sacrifice ourselves for you, Bashar."
The proregime demonstrations were backed, and possibly organized to some extent, by the government. Mass text messages were sent Monday urging people to march. Syria's state news agency said millions of people across the country were "flocking to the public squares in support of the reform process under the leadership of President Bashar al-Assad."
But almost four months into protests that have polarized Syrian society, Mr. Assad maintains a loyal base among the large merchant families of Damascus and Aleppo, the country's second-largest city. He also commands support among some minorities—including the Christian population—who prefer his autocratic rule over an unknown alternative and the potential of sectarian strife.
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304887904576399703507263370.html
Opposition activists, who dismissed the president's pledges in a speech Monday as insufficient, also demonstrated on Tuesday, leading to the deaths of at least four people in three cities when security forces fired on protesters, according to activists.
Mr. Assad, in his first public address since April 16, promoted a process of national dialogue as a path to reform. Opposition leaders have said they wouldn't take part.
Assad supporters were out in force in Damascus, the Syrian capital,which has yet to see sustained, mass antiregime demonstrations. In a central square, thousands of people waved flags and portraits of Mr. Assad, chanting: "We sacrifice ourselves for you, Bashar."
The proregime demonstrations were backed, and possibly organized to some extent, by the government. Mass text messages were sent Monday urging people to march. Syria's state news agency said millions of people across the country were "flocking to the public squares in support of the reform process under the leadership of President Bashar al-Assad."
But almost four months into protests that have polarized Syrian society, Mr. Assad maintains a loyal base among the large merchant families of Damascus and Aleppo, the country's second-largest city. He also commands support among some minorities—including the Christian population—who prefer his autocratic rule over an unknown alternative and the potential of sectarian strife.
Read More
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304887904576399703507263370.html
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