Syria

Tanks Surround Mourners in Hama

After 65 protesters were killed.

Tens of thousands took to the streets of Hama Saturday to mourn the deaths of at least 65 protesters killed Friday, as government tanks took up positions around the city. In 1982, President Hafez al-Assad responded to a popular uprising in Hama with a bombardment that destroyed much of the town and killed over 10,000 people. As a result, Hama had been slow to join in the recent uprisings. But on Friday, record numbers of protesters marched on the city’s main square, and security forces opened fire. The number of fatalities were expected to rise as bodies were identified. Three hospitals had reported a total of 80 deaths. On Saturday, 100,000 mourners gathered in the streets. They declared a general strike and barricaded the streets of the town with garbage bins to prepare for government retaliation.