- Syrian regime supporters wave their national flags during a demonstration to show their support for President Bashar Assad and to thanks Russia and China for blocking a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Syria for its brutal crackdown, in Damascus, Syria, on Wednesday Oct. 12, 2011.
DAMASCUS, Syria--
Tens of thousands of Syrians thronged a main square of the Syrian
capital and nearby streets Wednesday in a huge show of support for
embattled President Bashar Assad, as he struggles to quell a
seven-month-old uprising. Opponents charge such rallies are staged by
the regime.
International pressure is building on Assad
to step down over his regime's bloody crackdown on anti-government
protests that the U.N. says has left nearly 3,000 people dead.
Wednesday's demonstration was intended to
show that Assad still enjoys the support of many Syrians. the gathering
was huge in comparison with frequent, almost daily anti-regime protests
across the country since March which are often met by tear gas and
gunfire from police and security forces.
Organizers said the Damascus rally was also meant to thank Russia and China for blocking a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Syria for its brutal crackdown. Their vetoes last week drew heavy criticism from the U.S.
The demonstrators converged on the Damascus
square early Wednesday, waving Syrian flags and pictures of Assad, as
well as Russian and Chinese flags.
Some wore white T-shirts with a photo of
Assad with the Arabic word "Minhibbak," or "we love you." Previous
"Minhibbak" pro-Assad demonstrations have been mocked by the opposition
and dismissed as staged events.
Speakers, including school children, read poetry in praise of Assad.
"We support our leader and we do love him,"
said Lamia Kinani, 50, a housewife, adding that the newly formed
opposition Syrian National Council does not represent the Syrians.
The Syrian National Council, formed last week in Turkey, includes most main opposition factions.
No country or international body has recognized it as a legal representative of the Syrian people.
Demonstrator Annas Assad, 23, a university student, denounced the council as a "group of traitors and is a tool of the West."
Demonstrator Annas Assad, 23, a university student, denounced the council as a "group of traitors and is a tool of the West."
"Assad will remain in power against their will," he said.
Assad still has the firm loyalty of the armed forces, key to his remaining in power.
His main base of support also includes
Syrians who have benefited financially from the regime, minority groups
who fear they will be targeted if the Sunni majority takes over, and
others who see no clear and safe alternative to Assad.
The Assad regime charges that its opponents
are not true reformers; rather, foreign-backed terrorists and agitators.
The government claims it is the target of a foreign conspiracy because
of its support for anti-Israeli groups like Lebanon's Hezbollah and the
Palestinian Hamas, whose leadership is based in Syria.
Although mass protests in Syria have shaken one of the most authoritarian regimes in the Middle East,
the opposition has made no major gains in recent months, it holds no
territory and its leadership is still fragmented, despite the formation
of the new Syrian National Council.
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