In the city of Sweida, rare demonstrations followed the government’s decision to cut fuel subsidies, a blow to people already dealing with hyperinflation and poverty.
In an attempt to soften the blow, the government decreed, in pairing with the subsidy cut, that it would double public employees’ salaries. But Syria’s currency hit a record low last week.
“The doubling of salaries … does not catch up at all — at all — with the costs of living here,” said Belkis, a 28-year-old videographer who works with the activist network Sweida 24 and who gave only her last name out of fear of reprisal.The subsidy cuts may have been a final spark, but deeper issues are driving the protests, she said: “The absence of law, the deterioration in the quality of life, the fight for a living, the drop of the Syrian lira.
reported that security forces had gathered atop a mosque in Homs, a once-vibrant heart of the Syrian revolt, purportedly to thwart any attempt to protest.in 2020, however, this week’s demonstrations were filled with anger. A tribal convoy joined the protests Friday — atypical of the tribes, which tend to stay neutral. On Wednesday, someone boldly burned one of the many photos of Assad that pepper the streets of Syria.
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