Syrian Forces Beat Protesters At Mosque, Says Witness

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian security forces and President Bashar al-Assad loyalists attacked protesters with batons as they left the Rifaii mosque in the Kfar Sousseh district of Damascus after Friday prayers, a witness said.

Around 200 worshippers chanted slogans in support of the southern city of Deraa, where protests erupted against Baathist rule two weeks ago.

At least six protesters were arrested and dozens where beaten as they made their way out of the mosque, the witness told Reuters by telephone from the mosque complex.

(Reporting by Khaled Yacoub Oweis; Editing by Jon Boyle)

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.

Comments

[BillKen]

02:50 PM on 04/02/2011

NEXT! Syria!
Semper Fi

[TYRANNASAURUS]

01:51 PM on 04/01/2011

Dictators when in collapse get ugly.. never pretty.... but when the outcome is finally moving into the 21th century it's worth it.

[holyghostie]

01:10 PM on 04/01/2011

A free Syria would help Lebanon get unshackled from its puppet masters Syria and Iran.

[SergioBramasole]

11:31 AM on 04/01/2011

Not a cornucopia of comments filling the thread. It was expected . Multiculturalists and third worlders always shy away from discussing what really plagues Arab/Muslim lands.

Give 'em Jews and Israel 24/7. They'll be here from dawn to dusk.

[cdncommentator]

12:00 PM on 04/01/2011

You're absolutely right. You'd think that if these poster were so concerned for the citizens of the Arab world, they'd be here condemning Arab governments left and right.

Given that they're not...the only conclusions I can come to are that they are either themselves members of those autocratic Arab governments, or that they are simply Jew-haters.

[SergioBramasole]

12:59 PM on 04/01/2011

Many thanks for your decent words, dear friend.

[SergioBramasole]

10:55 AM on 04/01/2011

This Arab uprising touched Syria too. Every cloud has a silver lining. Or so it seems.

[tallen]

10:53 AM on 04/01/2011

Baby Assad won't be giving up power. Iran and hezbollah are also have a vital interest in maintaining the regime that facilitates weapons transfers and are no doubt applying pressure to Assad to do everything he can to stay in power.
Add to that the declaration from the US that we have no interest in helping the opposition, and there will be no regime changes in Syria.

[SergioBramasole]

11:18 AM on 04/01/2011

Ceteris paribus, one would prefer Assad and cronies to stay put if local islamists are the only alternative. That being said, the Iranian regime is also shaky. They're sitting on a volcano that may erupt at any moment. The whole rotten structure will go down with one decent kick in the butt.