A top Syrian Alawite spiritual leader urges his community to boycott celebrations marking the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, condemning the new authorities as more oppressive.
DAMASCUS: A prominent Alawite spiritual leader in Syria has urged members of his religious minority to boycott celebrations marking the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.
Ghazal Ghazal, head of the Islamic Alawite Council in Syria and Abroad, made the call in a video message on Saturday.
He denounced what he called the “oppressive” new authorities that replaced Assad’s regime.
“Under the slogan of freedom, they want to force the celebration of swapping an oppressive regime with an even more oppressive regime,” Ghazal said.
He accused the new authorities of attempting to break the Alawite community through arrests, killings, and threats to livelihoods.
The leader called for a “general and comprehensive strike” from December 8 to December 12.
Syrians have been marking the first anniversary since Islamist-led forces toppled Assad on December 8 after nearly 14 years of war.
The Alawite minority, to which Assad belongs, has faced attacks since his ousting.
Hundreds were killed in sectarian massacres in the community’s coastal heartland in March.
Authorities reported at least 1,426 Alawites killed, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the toll at over 1,700.
Late last month, thousands demonstrated on the Alawite coast after Ghazal urged protests against fresh attacks.
Also on Saturday, the Kurdish administration in northeast Syria banned public gatherings for two days.
The decree cited the “current security situation and increased activity of terrorist cells”.
It also prohibited gunfire and fireworks during the period.
The Kurdish administration has agreed to integrate its institutions into the central government by year-end, but progress has stalled.
Syria’s Kurds seek decentralisation, a move rejected by the new authorities in Damascus.
