« In France, polls tightening but Hollande still favored | NY Times fronts for Palestinian terrorists in Israeli detention »
May 4, 2012

Murder of Students in Syria sparks huge protests

By Rick Moran

President Assad's forces fired live ammunition into a crowd of tens of thousands of protestors in the key city of Aleppo on Friday as citizens, enraged at the government's murder of 4 students during a crackdown at the local university, flooded the streets following Friday prayers.

Casualties are unknown at this writing, but 25 other Syrians were killed in violence across the country on Friday.

Fox News:

An Aleppo-based activist said the protests were the largest since the start of the uprising against President Bashar Assad in March 2011. There was no immediate word of casualties.

"The people are incensed by what happened at the university," said the activist, Mohammed Saeed. "Everyone wants to express solidarity with those students."

Saeed said security forces were out in full force, firing live ammunition to disperse protesters and arresting people randomly.

"With our blood, we sacrifice for you students!" people shouted.

The raid at Aleppo University was an unusually violent incident for the city, a major economic hub that has remained largely loyal to President Bashar Assad over the course of the country's 14-month uprising.

The attack on a university campus, considered something of a safe space even within Syria's upheaval, sparked outrage among many residents there.

Activists said large protests formed Thursday night in solidarity with students who were thrown out of their dorms along with their belongings. Dozens of protesters were arrested during the night, activists said.

On Friday, tens of thousands of people demonstrated as they streamed out of mosques in several districts of the city. Friday, the Muslim holy day, is the main day of anti-government protests in Syria, when thousands of demonstrators around the county have been taking to the streets, calling for Assad's ouster.

Aleppo University announced it was closing until final exams on May 13 following the siege that began late Wednesday, when around 1,500 students staged a protest against Assad. Pro-regime students attacked the crowd with knives before security forces swept in, firing tear gas and then live ammunition, activists said.

Meanwhile, the UN continues to insist that the Annan Peace Plan is "still on track":

"The Annan plan is on track and a crisis that has been going on for over a year is not going to be resolved in a day or a week," spokesman Ahmed Fawzi said. "Sadly, time is a luxury that we don't have. But realistically, it's going to take a little more time to pull all the strings together, but rest assured that they are being pulled together."

There are no big signs of compliance with the plan, he admitted, but he said there are small signs. For instance, some heavy weapons have been withdrawn and some violence has receded, he said.

"There are signs on the ground of movement, albeit slow and small," Fawzi said.

The head of the U.N. mission in Syria, Gen. Robert Mood, said the government is allowing the observers access and the team has seen more commitment to the cease-fire plan.

"What my observers have seen is that, in specific locations, we have seen more commitment on the ground by the government," Mood said. "We are seeing positive signs on the ground."

The UN is mistaking Assad's repositioning his troops as evidence of compliance with the peace plan. Activists report the opposite - that Assad's forces have increased their presence in many cities and, judging by their actions in Aleppo, still show a preference for bloodletting when it comes to attacking civilians.

The US is less convinced that the UN peace plan is alive:

"If the regime's intransigence continues, the international community is going to have to admit defeat," he said, adding that new measures might have to be taken, including a return to the U.N. Security Council. He gave no further details.

It was the clearest statement yet that the Obama administration sees little chance for the cease-fire largely ignored by Syrian forces loyal to Assad. Syrian rebels have also kept up their attacks against government forces.




If you experience technical problems, please write to helpdesk@americanthinker.com