Protests erupt in Jaramana after Syria security forces enter

Protests broke out on Thursday evening when Syrian security forces tried to enter the town of Jaramana, east of Damascus, without prior coordination with local elders and residents. 

The protesters chanted slogans condemning the government of interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, calling for a national government that would end individual abuses, hold perpetrators accountable, and serve all Syrians without discrimination.

Security forces only entered after a meeting, held between several community leaders, religious figures, and public affairs activists, ended without agreement on whether they should be deployed in the city. This then prompted activists to stage a protest in Dignity Square. 

“The security forces chose to enter Jaramana without prior coordination, even though an agreement with the provincial leadership stipulated the handover of checkpoints and the entry of a limited number of security personnel in partnership with local volunteers from the town’s security forces,” Mulham Al-Daoud, one of the protest participants, told The New Arab’s Arabic sister outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

“But the leadership ignored this agreement and sent in forces unannounced and without coordination, which compelled us to reject their entry and protest.”

A member of the security forces told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the city is densely populated, and there are many remnants of the former regime hiding within it, who see the current situation as a chance to remain out of reach of the security forces and justice.

The officer, who asked to remain anonymous, said that those wanted or disrupting public order will be held accountable and referred to the judiciary, and they must be pursued sooner or later. 

“We prefer to enter the city and take over the checkpoints in agreement with its residents, in order to avoid bloodshed,” the security source said.

“The leadership does not understand the serious danger facing the security forces if each member is not accompanied by at least two locals from the city. They still don’t grasp that our rejection of their uncoordinated entry is out of concern for their safety, and to prevent any potential armed clashes with or against them,” Daoud said.

“This city includes people from all communities and sects, and there is no guarantee that some group or faction won’t provoke conflict or unrest with the security forces,” he added.

Jaramana, which has a large Druze population, is home to hundreds of thousands of people from various parts of Syria. It has been an important industrial and economic centre for decades, due to its proximity to Damascus.