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Syrian Youth Create Facebook Group Calling for Peaceful Revolution

by Amar Toor on February 2, 2011 at 01:40 PM

syrian supporters of egyptian protests
Inspired by the recent upheavals in Tunisia and Egypt, a group of online activists in Syria has started a Facebook group that's calling for a peaceful "2011 Syrian Revolution."

On the page, which has attracted over 7,800 members, the group calls for young Syrians to begin protesting on Friday "after prayer, in what will be the first day of anger and civil rebellion by the Syrian people in all Syrian cities." The activists also address Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying, "We are not against you as a person but against 'monocracy', corruption and tyranny and the fact the your family and friends have grabbed riches [sic]."

Although Facebook is officially banned in Syria, the activists likely have accessed the social network via proxies, as many Syrians do. Other activists within the country have been using the site to organize demonstrations in support of Egypt's protesters, though Syrian security forces ultimately prevented one group from protesting in front of the Egyptian embassy on Saturday.

Nevertheless, it's clear that events throughout the region have struck a chord with some of Syria's youth, as evidenced by the strong rhetoric on the most recently formed online forum. "You are like the youth of Tunisia and Egypt. We do not want a violent revolution but a peaceful uprising," reads an online statement from the Facebook group. "Raise your voice in a peaceful and civilised manner, because freedom of expression is guaranteed by the constitution and the law."

Tags: demonstration, egypt, EgyptProtests, facebook, FacebookGroup, politics, protest, security, syria, top, Tunisia, TunisiaProtests, Web

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