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See: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/2011 Syrian protests

Why put this here?--BabbaQ (talk) 15:59, 20 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It's part of the protests going on in the middle east currently. I don't think it should be deleted. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Trakrecord (talk • contribs) 02:18, 22 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Against - no reason to delete this. It's important to give each country a page for protests. --Smart30 (talk) 02:45, 22 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia has guidelines for article inclusion, please read WP:NOTABILITY, WP:EVENT, WP:NOTNEWS. Anyway, the main discussion is over here, you're welcome to join. Yazan (talk) 08:54, 22 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]

• Please place this info in the article for improvement =) - Knowledgekid87 (talk) 21:39, 1 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

On 26 January 2011, Hasan Ali Akleh from Al-Hasakah poured gasoline and burned himself in the same way as Mohamed Bouazizi. According to eyewitnesses, the action was "a protest against the Syrian government".^[1][2] On 29 January 2011, news channel Al Arabiya reported that Internet connection was cut off, that was quickly denied by official sources.^[3] On 28 January 2011, a demonstration was held in Ar-Raqqah during the evening, in protest against the killing of two soldiers of Kurdish descent.^[4]

On 31 January 2011, the Wall Street Journal ran an exclusive interview with Bashar al-Assad, President of Syria, in which he said it's time to reform. In a comment on the protests in Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen, he said a "new era" is coming to the Middle East, and that Arab rulers would need to do more to accommodate their people's rising political and economic aspirations.^[5][6]

On 3 February another “Day of rage” was called for in Syria from 4–5 February on social media sites Facebook and Twitter. Protesters demand reform in the government, however most protests so far have remained outside of Syria and have been small.^{[7][8][9][10]} Protests were also scheduled for 5 February in front of the parliament in Damascus and at Syrian embassies internationally.^[11] The planned protests had been named "Day of Rage."^[12] The only known action took place on 5 February, where hundreds of protesters in Al-Hasakah participated in a mass demonstration, calling for the President's departure. Syrian authorities have arrested dozens and the demonstration was triggered quickly.^[13] President Bashar al-Assad has declared that his state is immune from the kinds of mass protests taking place in Egypt.^[14] Al Jazeera also reported plans to increase security for the planned "days of rage." Days before the planned protests, Syrian authorities arrested several political activists, such as businessman Ghassan al-Najar, leader of the Islamic Democratic movement,^[15][16] the writer Ali al-Abdallah,^[17] Abbas Abbas, from Syrian Communist Party^[18] and several other political personalities of Kurdish backgrounds, such as Adnan Mustafa.^[19] Suhair Atassi, who runs the banned Jamal Atassi Forum, called for political reforms and the reinstatement of civil rights, as well as an end to the emergency law in place since 1963.^[20] However, no protests occurred on either date.^[21][22] Though internet services were said to have been curbed, Facebook and Youtube were reported to have been restored on 8 February.^[23] Suggestions were made that easing the ban could be a way to track activists.^[24] After the failure of attempts to a "day of rage," Al Jazeera called the country "a kingdom of silence" and identified key factors for stability within Syria as being strict security measures, the popularity of President Bashar al-Assad, and fears of potential sectarian violence in the aftermath of a government ouster (akin to neighbouring Iraq).^[25]

On 14 February, blogger and student Tal al-Mallohi was sentenced to five years in prison for spying for the United States. Washington denied these allegations and asked for the release Tal immediately. 15 February, under pressure from human rights organizations, the Syrian government released Ghassan al-Najjar, a "veteran Islamist activist" after he went on hunger strike following his arrest for calling for mass protests.^[26] 16 February, regime critic and director of the Organisation for Democracy and Freedom in Syria (ODFS) Ribal al-Assad, the son of Rifaat al-Assad and cousin to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad held a press conference in London, where he made it clear that he "does not want to see a Syrian revolution, but a peaceful change of power".^[27]

On 17 February, a fight took place in central Damascus, between a shop owner and traffic police. Everything took a new turn when three police officers began attacking the man and beat him severely. Several people gathered around and blocked the road, while shouting "the Syrian people will not be pushed down". An eyewitness estimated the number to more than 1,500 demonstrators. Secret police officers arrived quickly to the scene along with several "big names" and finally Minister of the Interior who scared away the demonstrators. The minister took the shop owner in his car and promised to investigate what had happened.^[28] A couple of hours later, several video versions were posted on YouTube.^[29]

On 19 February, several Syrian websites reported widespread anti-government graffiti across Damascus and other major cities.^[30] Syrian security police have arrested Fares Serawan days after the demonstration to his participation.^[31] On 21 February, blogger Ahmad Abu al-Khair was reportedly arrested by Syrian security forces early Sunday morning.^[32] Security police have arrested dozens of Kurds near Damascus, and in preparation for a massive uprising, the al-Baath party sent 180,000 additional soldiers to support the security forces after a new wave of graffiti appeared with anti-regime messages. The security forces have gone into schools and questioned students and requested their email addresses.^[33]

On 22 February, dozens of people gathered outside the Libyan embassy in Damascus to protest against the Libyan regime and wanted the ambassador to resign. Despite the peaceful message, there were several security officers on site. Everything took a new turn when the protesters started shouting "Corrupt, he who strikes his people", which created nervousness among the security forces who immediately asked people to leave to their homes.^[34][35] On 23 February, attempted a professor at the highly screened University of Damascus start a revolt from within the University facilities, but he was met quickly by security police officers who beat him bloody while screaming at him "Do you want to teach? First, learn that al-Assad family are your masters, you child of a whore". The professor was thereafter taken by intelligence men. A short video from the event spread to different websites.^[36] A similar video showing the torture of Syrian officers is widely used in social media where participants require a revolution in Syria.^[37]

On 24 February, a new date for a Syrian "day of rage" was announced on March 15 under the name "the Syrian uprising."^{[38][39][better source needed]}

Here is a source that talks about different protests, including anti-government graffiti: [1] --Supreme Deliciousness (talk) 16:34, 3 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thousands in the streets on March 19th. Ericl (talk) 15:58, 19 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I think the parts regarding Syria's involvement in the Libyan conflict should have their own (sub)section, as they seem marginally related to the protests - ArnoldPlaton (talk) 17:53, 20 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I think it is important to say, that the Assad-family is of Alevi/Alawi-faith. The Alewis are only in the Mediterranean provinces in the majority. They dominate the armed forces. The majority of the whole country are of course Sunni muslims. Thus a small group of heterodox Shi'ites dominate a Sunni majority.--90.187.81.159 (talk) 01:44, 22 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Might be relevant, but needs a reference. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.65.34.246 (talk) 21:14, 22 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The Syrian government fired the provincial governor of the province where the demonstrations were taking place. This is the biggest concession in modern Syrian history.Ericl (talk) 20:16, 22 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It would be interesting to consider how much Hauranis may also be asking for local self-government within the Syrian state (i.e. NOT in any way separatism, but for the ability to run local matters themselves). I carefully write that this is not an attempt to advocate such a step, just an enquiry as to whether this is happening. Rif Winfield (talk) 09:57, 25 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Which one do you guys think should be used?

PNG:

SVG:

--Supreme Deliciousness (talk) 12:43, 25 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

PNG looks sharper, on my screen at least. Are there any technical reasons why one format is better than another e.g. compatability with different browsers?Rangoon11 (talk) 21:27, 25 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Everything (except text) looks better with SVG for me, and SVG can easily be edited by anyone, this is not the case with PNG.--Supreme Deliciousness (talk) 22:01, 25 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

What's the sources for that map? Also, some protests are pro-regime, be careful not to confuse the two. FunkMonk (talk) 20:48, 26 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I corrected the total deaths in the infobox, based on Reuters. No one really knows, but in various news accounts I'm seeing 'casualties' apparently confused with 'deaths'. 'Casualties' includes both killed and injured. There are likely some translation issues, and also some multiple-counting, so it's important to stick to the most reliable sources and their most current totals. (The latest AP reports agree with Reuters, stressing 'unconfirmed reports' even of that estimate.) Flatterworld (talk) 17:44, 26 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Amnesty International say 55 have died.--Supreme Deliciousness (talk) 18:03, 26 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]