By David Williams
Last updated at 2:52 PM on 26th March 2011
- Soldiers open fire on pro-democracy campaigners
- Violence breaks out in capital Damascus
Soldiers opened fire on pro-democracy campaigners in several cities, after tens of thousands took to the streets to protest across the country.
For the first time, protesters clashed with supporters of President Bashar Assad in the capital Damascus.
But the flashpoint was again the southern city of Deraa, where heavy gunfire could be heard after thousands of protesters chanting ’
Shattered: Windows on a bus in Mouadamieh, near Damascus, are broken after security forces opened fire 'haphazardly', killing as many as three protesters
Syrians gather during a demonstration by protesters in Deraa today after clashes with pro-president supporters
Fresh clashes: Anti- and pro-Assad protesters clash outside the Omayyad Mosque in Damascus today
Thousands had defied bans to take to the streets to protest after more than 20 people, including some in a mosque, were said to have been killed by security forces in the city during the week.
That crackdown, following the wave of pro-democracy demonstrations that have spread across the Middle East and North Africa was the spark for the unprecedented nationwide protests.
In Damascus demonstrators shouting in support of the Deraa protesters clashed with regime supporters outside the Umayyad mosque.
The clashes represented a major escalation of the showdown between President Assad’s regime and the crowds in Deraa who began protesting against conditions in the drought-stricken south last week.
Support: People wave flags and images of Syrian President Bashar Assad during a pro-government rally in Damascus
Pledges: Assad has promised to bring in reforms in a bid to stamp out an opposition movement
In the western city of Zabadani, near the border with Lebanon, several were detained after protesting.
Amnesty International said yesterday that it believed at least 55 people had been killed since protests erupted.
Syria has been ruled for four decades by the Assad family.
Dragged to safety: Protesters attempt to carry a body after youths were fired on as they marched through the streets of Deraa in images that have just surfaced
Movement: Syrians take part in a funeral march in Deraa yesterday. Several people were shot dead by government forces outside a mosque on Wednesday
Tensions: Syrian security forces stand on a street during a funeral procession. The government has dismantled barricades in a bid to reduce trouble in Deraa
Britain last night condemned the violence. Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said that he was ‘deeply concerned’ by the use of force in Daraa.
He said: ‘I call on the Syrian government to respect the people’s right to peaceful protest and to address their legitimate grievances.’
Meanwhile in Yemen yesterday thousands of protesters took to the streets demanding the resignation of beleaguered President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Flashpoint: The Omari mosque in Daraa which has become the headquarters of the anti-government movement
His remarks, a week after government snipers opened fire on a rally killing more than 50 in the capital Sanaa, were immediately seized on by protesters, who took to the streets after prayers.
Last night Amnesty’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, Philip Luther, said: ‘The government cannot just shoot its way out of this crisis.
‘Whether in uniform or in plain clothes, security forces must be immediately stopped from using live ammunition on unarmed protesters.
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