Syrians defy regime with a show of civil disobedience

Syrians closed their businesses and kept children home from school yesterday as part of a “Strike for Dignity”, a powerful show of civil disobedience even as the government of president Bashar al-Assad pushed ahead with municipal elections the opposition has dismissed as meaningless.

The open-ended strike takes direct aim at the country’s ailing economy. It is designed to erode Mr Assad’s main base of support – the new and vibrant merchant classes, who have benefited in recent years as the president opened up the economy.

There were signs it was being widely observed, in particular in centres of anti-government protest: the southern province of Daraa, the suburbs of the capital, Damascus, the north-western region of Idlib and in the restive city of Homs.

The opposition wants the strike to remain in force until the regime pulls the army out of cities and releases thousands of detainees.

“Only bakeries, pharmacies and some vegetable shops are open,” said one Homs resident, who asked that his name not be published for fear of reprisals.

In addition to the strike, he said, security was tight in Homs yesterday with agents deployed at every intersection. The crackle of gunfire erupted sporadically.

“There is a terrifying security deployment in Homs,” he said.

Activists said a new round of clashes between Syrian troops and army defectors began on Sunday, with a major battle in the south spreading to new areas yesterday, raising fears that the conflict is spiralling towards civil war.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said new clashes between soldiers and defectors were reported in Idlib in the north, and that fighting continued for a second day in southern Daraa province.

Amid the violence, the government forged on with council elections that the opposition says fall far short of its demands for Mr Assad to give up power.

Witnesses said turnout was low. The opposition does not consider the vote a legitimate concession, because it coincides with the deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters. The regime had touted the vote as a reform measure, because some new rules were introduced recently allowing more people to run in the election.

“The number of voters is very small,” said Mohamed Saleh, an activist in Homs. “Even in normal days, people did not give much attention to municipal elections.”

Prime minister Adel Safar had earlier urged Syrians to turn out to vote, telling them to “stand together to save our country from the conspiracies against us”.

The official Sana news agency said: “Syrians all over the country flocked to election polls” in 9,849 centres.

In Damascus, an engineer said his daughter was asked to go to her school, which is serving as polling centre. She was told to wear regular clothes, not her school uniform.

“It seems they want to film the students as voters, because turnout is very low,” he said.

Ayman Thamer, an anti-Assad activist and veteran election watcher, said the real turnout in municipal elections traditionally has not exceeded 10 per cent, because the poll, like other elections in Syria, is seen as rigged.

“People showed up at polling stations in the pro-regime districts,” Mr Thamer said.