A widespread wave of protests erupted across Syria over the weekend against the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as “al-Jolani,” following a sharp increase in fuel prices. According to a Reuters report, the demonstrations are the largest the country has witnessed since the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime nearly two years ago.
SYRIA PROTESTS ENTER SECOND DAY, BORDER CROSSING BLOCKED
Protests in Syria have entered their second day, with demonstrators reportedly blocking a border crossing between Syria and Iraq.
Protests have also been announced and are continuing across several areas of northern… pic.twitter.com/6jVOZpfYz2
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According to the report, the protests began after the Syrian government announced Saturday that it was raising the price of diesel by approximately 40%, to 175 Syrian pounds per liter. Demonstrators subsequently took to the streets in several locations across the country, burning tires and blocking major roads, including the highway connecting Damascus and Aleppo.
The Syrian government also raised the price of 95-octane gasoline by approximately 28%, to 195 pounds per liter, while 90-octane gasoline rose approximately 26%, to 185 pounds. Prices for gas used by households and industry were also increased by approximately 9%.
At some protest sites, demonstrators also blocked convoys of oil tankers traveling toward refineries in central Syria. Some demanded the dismissal of the energy and economy ministers as well as the removal of the head of the Syrian Petroleum Company, while chants were also heard against “al-Jolani.”
“We don’t want higher salaries. All we want is for the prices of diesel and other fuels to come down,” one Syrian who participated in the protests told Reuters. Another demonstrator said conditions had become unbearable and appealed directly to the Syrian president: “The border crossings bring in millions of dollars. We don’t want new squares or shopping malls. We just want to live.”