ROCHELLE JUNIOR

Sweida- The peaceful protests erupted in the Druze majority city of Sweida over the high inflation rate and deteriorating economic situation in Syria on August 17, 2023 continue. Yesterday, protesters gathered at Karama Square and marched to the building of the media and television center in Sweida by chanting the “The Syrian media is a liar” slogan.

‘The pro-government media distort our peaceful protests’

The peaceful protests at the Karama Square are distorted by the pro-government media, said Maha Al-Atrash, one of the women protesters. “The Syrian citizens have not trusted the Syrian media for 50 years because they know that the media are dominated by pro-government outlets. The pro-government media outlets have been distorting our peaceful protests and have remained silent against the crimes in Syria for eight months,” said Al-Atrash, calling on “real” journalists to make their voices heard.

 ‘The Syrian media is a liar’

Shahira Tarudi called on the Syrian people not to forget the first spark that started the revolution in the country and said, “We marched to the building of the media and television center and chanted ‘The Syrian media is a liar’. Since the revolution in 2011, we have held peaceful protests; however, we have faced all kinds of oppression by the government. We will keep holding our peaceful protests until the government changes.”

 ‘The word is a weapon that scares the most powerful tyrants’

Salam Al-Nabwani, another protester, also condemned the pro-government media outlets for distorting their protests. “The world is a weapon that scares the most powerful tyrants,” she said. “A word can express thoughts and spark protests. On March 18, 2011, a word sparked protests in Syria and showed how the will of people is stronger than the regime. Although we have held peaceful protests to build a new life, the pro-government media outlets have carried out a smear campaign against us. The powerful battle is the battle of awareness.”