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The Citizen
19-07-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Syrians protest Sweida killings in London, Paris
More than 900 people have been killed in the Druze-majority province since Sunday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. Tribal and bedouin fighters deploy amid clashes with Druze gunmen in the predominantly Druze city of Sweida in southern Syria on July 19, 2025. Syrian Bedouins and their allies fought Druze gunmen in the community's Sweida heartland for a seventh day despite a ceasefire ordered by the government following a US-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP) Dozens of Syrians from minority communities rallied on Saturday in London and Paris, calling for action to protect the Druze in their Sweida heartland, where sectarian violence has killed hundreds. In central London, around 80 protesters chanted 'God protect Druze' and 'Stop supporting Jolani', referring to Syrian interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa's nom de guerre, which he had abandoned after his Islamist group seized Damascus late last year. The demonstrators in the British capital held up placards calling for an end to the deadly violence in Sweida and for a humanitarian corridor to be opened up via the Jordanian border. More than 900 people have been killed in the Druze-majority province since Sunday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. The sectarian clashes between the Druze and Bedouin tribes, who are Sunni Muslim, have drawn in the Islamist-led government as well as Israel and armed tribes from other parts of Syria. In London, demonstration organiser Emad al Eismy told AFP atrocities were still going on in Sweida. 'Shootings, beheadings, raping, killing children, (torching) shops, homes. It's a barbarian movement going on in Sweida,' he said at the protest outside BBC headquarters. 'Like ethnic cleansing' AFP correspondents in Sweida reported clashes on Saturday, despite a ceasefire ordered by the government following a US-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention. The Observatory, a Britain-based war monitor, said armed volunteers had been deployed with the support of the Islamist-led government. Druze fighters said those who arrived to support the Bedouin were mostly Islamists. Protester Maan Radwan, who has family in Sweida, fought back tears as he said some of his relatives had died in a massacre at their guesthouse. He reproached British Foreign Secretary David Lammy for his visit to Syria earlier this month, when he met al-Sharaa. The United Nations has called for an end to the 'bloodshed' and demanded an 'independent' investigation of the violence. William Salha, like most of the protesters, also has family members still living in Sweida. He said they were 'helpless', shut in their homes, attempting to keep themselves safe. 'It's like ethnic cleansing. They want the city without its people,' he said, accusing the Syrian government of complicity. A teenager from south London at the protest with his mother said multiple members of his father's family had been gunned down and killed, with the news filtering out through an aunt. 'The armed groups came to them, they tried to resist and they shot them,' he said. ALSO READ: Syrian man pleads guilty to deadly knife rampage at German festival 'Where is France?' At the Paris protest, Aida Haladi wore black and clutched a picture of her 52-year-old brother whom she said was killed in front of his home Thursday morning in Sweida city. She said he had stepped out to grab some blood pressure medication he had forgotten. 'He was an honest man. He never tried to hurt a soul,' she said. 'Where is France?' Haladi said, accusing Sharaa of complicity and angry at France's leader Emmanuel Macron for having hosted Syria's interim president in Paris in May. Hours later, France urged all sides to 'strictly adhere' to the ceasefire. Eva Radwan, a 41-year-old PhD student, held up a picture of her 34-year-old cousin and his two nephews, aged 13 and 16, who she said were killed. She said her parents fled their homes in Sweida after their neighbourhod was bombarded at the start of the week. 'Jolani get out, Syria is not yours,' she shouted into a megaphone in front of the Eiffel Tower, leading around 20 other protesters. She also called for Jordan to open its border to let in aid. The Observatory said at least 940 people had been killed since Sunday, including 326 Druze fighters and 262 Druze civilians, 165 of whom were summarily executed. READ NEXT: UN calls for halt to Afghan deportations amid abuse fears
The Standard
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The Standard
Syria troops quit Druze heartland after violence leaves nearly 600 dead
This aerial picture shows a view of Bedouin residents dismantling their camp in the vicinity of the Druze al-Mazraa village in Syria's southern Sweida gvernorate on July 17, 2025, as they prepare to leave for safer areas amid ongoing clashes. The southern Sweida province has been gripped by deadly sectarian bloodshed since July 13, with hundreds reportedly killed in clashes pitting Druze fighters against Sunni Bedouin tribes and the army and its allies. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
Toronto Sun
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Shadowy extremist group claims Damascus church attack
Sunday's attack killed 25 people and wounded dozens, striking terror into Syria's Christian community and other minorities. Mourners carry the coffins of some of the 25 people killed in a weekend church bombing in Damascus in a procession through the Syrian capital's Al-Qassaa neighbourhood. Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP BEIRUT — A little-known Sunni Muslim extremist group claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a weekend suicide attack on a Damascus church, as the city mourned those killed. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Sunday's attack killed 25 people and wounded dozens, striking terror into Syria's Christian community and other minorities. A statement from Saraya Ansar al-Sunna said an operative 'blew up the Saint Elias church in the Dwelaa neighbourhood of Damascus', adding that it came after unspecified 'provocation'. The Islamist authorities who took power after ousting longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December had quickly blamed the attack on the Islamic State group and announced several arrests on Monday in a security operation against IS-affiliated cells. IS did not claim responsibility for the attack. The Saraya Ansar al-Sunna statement, on messaging app Telegram, said the government's version of events was 'untrue, fabricated'. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The group, which was formed after Assad's ouster, vowed that 'what is coming will not give you respite' warning that 'our soldiers… are fully prepared'. At the funeral of some of those killed in Damascus's Holy Cross Church, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East John X called the attack an 'unacceptable incident'. 'Heinous crime' Addressing interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the patriarch said 'the heinous crime that took place at Mar Elias Church is the first massacre of its kind in Syria since 1860', referring to the mass killings of Christians in Damascus under the Ottoman Empire. 'We refuse for these events to take place during the revolution and during your honourable era.' Sharaa had called the patriarchate's adviser to send condolences, an act John X called 'insufficient'. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Security was tight for the funeral in the Syrian capital's Holy Cross ALKASEM/AFP Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP To ululations and tears, nine white coffins were carried into the church, amidst a heavy security presence in the area. 'These events are fleeting and have no value in history,' teacher Raji Rizkallah, 50, told AFP. 'Christianity is a deeply rooted and permanent part of this land, and extremists are heretics. They have no place in the present or the future.' Assad's government used to portray itself as a protector of minorities, who were subject to numerous attacks claimed by jihadist groups during the 14-year civil war. In March, a dispute took place in front of the Saint Elias church, as residents expressed opposition to Islamic chants being played on loudspeakers from a car. The suicide bombing followed sectarian violence in recent months, including massacres of members of the Alawite sect to which Assad belongs and clashes with Druze fighters, with security one of the new authorities' greatest challenges. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The bloodshed has raised concerns about the government's ability to control radical fighters, after Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the offensive that ousted Assad. HTS was once affiliated with Al-Qaeda before breaking ties in 2016. Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi, a Syria-based analyst and researcher, said Saraya Ansar al-Sunna could be 'a pro-IS splinter originating primarily from defectors from HTS… and other factions but currently operating independently of IS'. He also said it could be 'just an IS front group'. Citing a Saraya source, Tamimi said a disillusioned former HTS functionary heads the group, whose leadership includes a former member of Hurras al-Din, Syria's Al-Qaeda affiliate which announced in January it was dissolving on the orders of the new government. The Observatory said Saraya Ansar al-Sunna had previously threatened to target Alawites and had carried out an attack in Hama province earlier this year. The group is accused of involvement in the sectarian massacres in March that the Observatory said killed more than 1,700 people, mostly Alawite civilians. Toronto & GTA Toronto Blue Jays Toronto & GTA NHL MMA
