Syrians Call for No Fly Zone, Dozens Killed

Opposition protesters marched in several cities throughout Syria on Friday and voiced support for an internationally enforced no-fly zone. Dozens of protesters have been killed as well, mostly in the city of Hama and Homs, as banners in Homs read “A no-fly zone is a legitimate demand for Homs.” Activists told foreign media agencies that demonstrations took place in Deir el-Zour, Aleppo suburb, al-Hasakah, Daraa, and the suburbs of Damascus as well. French sources said that a funeral for an army deserter evolved into an opposition rally in the northwestern Idlib province.

Activists said much of the violence happened after protests had ended, claiming security forces hunted protesters and activists, and authorities disrupted telephone and Internet service in restive areas as well, according to opposition groups. Military and security forces also made mass arrests including one woman and her 12-year-old son, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Stop the War Coalition activist Jim Brann asserted that the West has been reticent to intervene because ”Syria is seen as being much more problematic [than Libya],” adding that ”Clearly, the Syrian regime is much more firmly based than [Gadhafi, and] Syria is much more firmly entrenched in the Arab World.”