Damascus, April 05: The southern Syrian town of Daraa, the centre of pro-democracy protests, was hit by a general strike today and braced for fresh rallies after midday prayers, a rights activist said.
“The general strike was largely observed,” he told AFP on condition of anonymity, adding that activists had distributed leaflets urging shops to remain closed today.
He added security forces fired warning shots last night trying “in vain” to disperse a sit-in outside the Al-Omari mosque, the focal point of more than two weeks of anti-government protests marred by deadly violence.
The strike came a day after President Bashar al-Assad named Mohammad Khaled al-Hannus as the new governor of the town, one of the main flashpoints of an opposition movement that erupted on March 15.
-Agencies