As President Bashar Al-Assad orders his army and brutal security forces to attack civilian protesters in nearly all major cities in Syria, Egyptians and Syrians have been holding protests in Cairo, reports Khaled Dawoud At least 1,000 Syrians living in Cairo, in addition to Egyptian sympathisers, protested in front of the Syrian embassy in Cairo on Tuesday after the Syrian army and security forces escalated attacks against civilian protesters in several Syrian cities this week. On Friday alone, police forces killed at least 113 Syrians who demonstrated against the 11- year-old rule of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. On Monday, the Syrian president ordered his army to take over the city of Daraa, where the first demonstrations broke out against him more than a month ago. Scores of civilians were also reported dead in that attack. The oppressive tactics of the Syrian regime were obvious even thousands of kilometres from Damascus. When the chants of the protesters grew louder in front of the Syrian embassy in Cairo, employees inside started playing national songs on huge loudspeakers praising Al-Assad. But the young protesters outside quickly managed to disconnect the electrical wires attached to the speakers and resumed chanting their slogans which were obviously disturbing to the Syrian ambassador and his staff. As in all the ongoing revolutions against oppressive, decades-long rule in several Arab countries, the Internet has been the main tool for organising pro-democracy supporters. Social networks like Facebook and Twitter have become even more significant in a country like Syria where the government has banned international media from entering the country, and placed severe restrictions on the local media. Nearly all the pictures coming out of Syria and played in television newscasts around the world are taken by locals on their mobile phones and spread to the outside world through the Internet. Monzer Elewa, a Syrian activist based in Cairo, said that the main task he performed together with many Syrians living abroad who support the revolution and demand democracy, was to spread news and pictures on the "barbaric brutality which the army, police forces and pro- government thugs have been using against innocent civilian protesters in my country." He added that as Syrians "we try our best to keep in contact with our families and friends inside and spread the news to the world." The Syrian community has a long history in Egypt dating back to the 18th century, mainly as businessmen and owners of restaurants. Elewa complained, however, that the new government in Egypt was shying away from expressing dismay about the brutal force the Syrian president has been using against his people. "There are a few circles in the Arab world that refrain from criticising Al-Assad because of his alleged stand against Israel. But they have to understand that a regime that kills its people cannot fight Israel, and that its only aim is to stay in power," he added. After protesting in front of the Syrian embassy for two hours, the demonstrators, who were keen to cooperate with the police force that was present near the diplomatic mission, started marching towards the headquarters of the Arab League in downtown Cairo. They agreed with the police to march in rows of only four people in order not to block traffic. After a similar peaceful protest in front of the Arab League, which issued an unusual statement on Monday calling upon governments to refrain from using force against their people and to respond to their legitimate demands -- but without naming Syria -- the demonstrators moved to the headquarters of the Press Syndicate. They said they wanted to address Egyptian journalists and ask them to take a firmer stand in support of their revolution. Later on Tuesday evening, supporters of the local youth 6 April Movement, that played a crucial role in protests that ended with the fall of former president Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, held their own small demonstration in front of the Syrian embassy in the Cairo district of Doqqi. Ahmed Abdel-Rahim, a dentist and member of 6 April, said they will hold more demonstrations at the same place today, Thursday. "We face similar circumstances in all Arab countries: presidents who stay in power forever and plan to hand over power to their sons, corruption, police brutality and torture," Abdel-Rahim told Al-Ahram Weekly. "That's why I'm here in front of the Syrian embassy, and I will continue protesting here until Bashar faces the same fate as Mubarak," he added. Several Egyptian experts, however, warned of the regional consequences of the downfall of the Syrian regime, saying Al-Assad's collapse would have repercussions in Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Syria's close ally, Iran. Experts also noted that unlike the situation in Egypt and Tunisia, the Syrian army was mostly loyal to Al-Assad as the majority of its ranks belong to the same minority Alawite sect as the president. The US, Britain and France have also been cautious in criticising Al-Assad. But after the escalation in the use of force against civilians over this past week, the three countries announced that they would consider sanctions against the leaders of the Syrian regime, including Al-Assad and his family members. Beyond issuing its sharply worded statement this week, it is not expected that the Arab League will hold any meeting soon to discuss the situation in Syria. Opposition by the majority of Arab countries to the deadly suppression of protests in Libya by its leader Muammar Gaddafi was one key reason why Western countries agreed to use military force, to protect Libyan civilians. Most experts believe such a scenario would not be followed soon with Syria, considering its regional standing and its long joint borders with Israel.
