ROCHELLE JUNİOR

Sweida- On 17 August 2023, peaceful protests erupted in the Druze majority city of Sweida over the high inflation rate and deteriorating economic situation in Syria. he protests have entered their fifth week. Yesterday, hundreds gathered in Karama Square of the city, demanding the change of the government.

‘Our struggle is not a new struggle’

Salwa Al-Abdullah, a retired teacher who participated in the protest, said, “Our struggle is not a new struggle, it dates back decades. We want our country to be a strong country without depending on anyone. We demand poor working conditions be improved. I am a retired teacher and receive only 180, 000 Syrian liras per month. This amount is insufficient to meet my needs. I am now 80 years old and suffer from many health problems. Sometimes, I have to pay 200,000 Syrian liras to buy my medicines. I mean my salary is insufficient to buy even my medicines. I barely walk but I walked until here to participate in this protest.”

‘We will not give up our demands’

Shoruk Al-Abdullah, another protester, thinks that the people of Syria are deprived of their rights. “We hold protests because there are many reasons such as poverty, humiliation and oppression. People are deprived of their rights in all cities of Syria. We cannot meet our basic needs under current conditions. We will keep holding protests, we will not give up our demands for the change of the government and the elimination of corruption. We demand freedom for everyone. Our protests are peaceful protests because we demand a life with dignity.”

Underlining that they have already broken the barriers of fear, Shoruk Al-Abdullah said, “We will keep holding protests until our demands are met.”