'Inseparable part of Syria'
Photo: Avihu Shapira
Thousands of Druze rally for Assad
Amid anti-regime protests across Syria, thousands of Golan Heights residents gather to show solidarity with Assad's regime. 'We came to support leader of our homeland, whose regime is being undermined,' says Majdal Shams resident
On the backdrop of growing unrest in Syria, thousands of Druze from the northern Golan Heights on Saturday participated in a solidarity protest for President Bashar Assad at the village of Buq'ata.
Clergymen, women and children waved Syrian flags and portraits of Assad, and chanted Syrian songs.
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At the beginning of the week, a petition signed by dozens of Golan Heights residents and sent to Syria called for the removal of Assad, but Saturday's mass rally clearly showed that the majority of Druze residents still support the Syrian regime.
Rally in Buq'ata (Photo: Avihu Shapira)
"Not a single Druze forgets that he is an inseparable part of Syria,' noted Buq'ata resident Nabil Frahat.
"We send our encouragement to President Assad and the Syrian people. We hope that the regime survives for the sake of the people, and is not harmed by the voices of a few thousand people who do not represent the majority," he added.
The event organizers stated that some 4,000 people attended the rally, but the police reported a little over 2,000 participants.
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