Numerous demonstrators oppose the Arab world's approach to Syria's al-Assad

 

In numerous locations in northwest Syria, hundreds of people have marched to the streets to demonstrate against the strengthening connections between several Arab nations and President Bashar al-Assad.

The largest protest took place on Sunday in Idlib, a stronghold of anti-Assad forces, while smaller gatherings also took place in Azaz, a haven for Syrians who fled from other regions of the country during the 12-year war, and Tal Abyad, a town on the Turkey-Syria border, among other places in the northwest of the country.

Protests were also organized by small groups of individuals in Vienna, Berlin, and Amsterdam, among other European cities.

According to an activist relocated to Idlib from the southern city of Deraa, "We went out in this demonstration to deliver a message to the Arab countries that have failed the Syrian people and the Syrian revolution."

He continued, "The Syrian revolution started as an orphan and is still an orphan.

Syria's civil war started when al-Assad's suppression of nonviolent protests against the government in 2011 turned into a bloody conflict that drew in outside forces and international armed organizations.

Over 500,000 people have died, and roughly 50% of the pre-war population has been evicted from their homes.

Rebel-held Three million people call Idlib their home, with the majority having been displaced by the war.

"Whoever forgives and reconciles [with al-Assad] is a criminal traitor... and is like him," said one of the signs some protesters carried.

Saudi Arabia and several other Arab nations severed ties with al-Assad's administration when the Syrian Civil War began in 2011. Riyadh had long openly advocated for al-Assad's removal and had supported Syrian rebels in the conflict's early stages.

However, as al-Assad slowly won back the majority of the land lost to opponents with key support from Russia and Iran, regional capitals began to gravitate to him.

The liberation of all prisoners and the prosecution of al-Assad, according to protesters, are prerequisites for peace with him. Additionally, they emphasized how impossible it would be for displaced Syrians to return as long as al-Assad holds onto power.