Syrians Call For Revolution

Protests spread in southern Syria Tuesday as hundreds of people marched to demand reforms in a previously peaceful village, witnesses and activists said.

In a nearby city, troops and protesters faced off outside a mosque where demonstrators have taken shelter.

A group named "United Arab Tribes in Syria" posted a message online in which it declared a "revolution against the Syrian regime."

The government sought to contain the first serious intrusion of the Arab world's political unrest by firing the governor of the southern province of Deraa, where security forces killed seven protesters in the main city of Deraa over the weekend.

A clip posted on YouTube showed several hundred villagers in Sanamein, near Deraa, chanting "Freedom!" while another showed dozens gathered in the Hajar Aswad neighborhood of the capital.

Syrian activists who reported the protests said they took place Monday evening. The activists spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared government reprisals. The authenticity of the videos could not be independently verified.

Protests also spread Monday to the towns of Jasim and Inkhil near Deraa, witnesses said.

Many demonstrators demanded the departure of provincial governor Faisal Kalthoum after security forces used tear gas, water cannons and later live ammunition to disperse the crowds, which first gathered on Friday.
More here