Al Arabiya News Channel is reporting that Syrians are getting organized to launch protests against the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Meanwhile, in Egypt the army ruled out use of force against civilians as a million people march and general strike are called for tomorrow by opposition groups, according to the BBC.
DUBAI (Al Arabiya) — Thousands of Syrians have joined a Facebook group to call for a protest against their president on Friday, February 4, echoing Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution and Egypt’s Day of Rage on January 25.
The group named “the Syria Revolution 2011,” is planning rallying young people in a march to protest against the Ba’thist regime led by Bashar al-Assad after Friday’s prayer.
The group described al-Assad’s rule as dictatorship and showed torture YouTube videos of political dissident in the country.
The group also called for civil disobedience, and encouraged “all of the brave Syrian youth, from all factions and social classes and from all provinces” to “not be silent about oppression.”
Against ‘revolution’
To counter the group and its plans, a another group was recently formed to support Assad and his regime.
“We love you” said a caption in bold red on the group’s profile which includes a picture of al-Assad.
The pro-Syrian president group called “The Syria Revolution 2011” group as “backward”.
The number of people joining both groups is constantly increasing and includes 6,586 people for “The Syria Revolution 2011” and 6,466 with pro-the Syrian president and his regime.
“One nation, one blood, one leader, one god,” said the pro al-Assad group.
Syria’s late President Hafiz al-Assad initially groomed his elder son Basil al-Assad to be the country’s future president, but Basil died in a car accident
Bashar al-Assad who had few political aspirations and was an ophthalmology graduate, inherited Syria’s presidency after his father’s death in 2000.
In 2007 Bashar was approved president for another seven-year term after he won a vote, in which had no challenger, by 97.6 of the votes, according to official figures.
A far cry from his father’s socialist rule, Bashar opened the country’s market but quashing political dissidents is still taking place.