DEFIANCE

Thousands Protest Across Syria

56 reported dead amid demonstrations.

Despite heavy bloodshed in Syria on Friday, thousands of Syrians participated in a nationwide protest, staging demonstrations in major cities where heavy shelling had been reported earlier in the day. Activists have been staging mass protests every Friday since unrest began a year ago, focusing on a different theme every week. Bolstered by the U.N. vote to back a plan calling for President Bashar al-Assad’s resignation, protesters focused on “popular resistance,” rallying in the streets of Daraa, Homs, Hama, and Damascus and chanting for an end to Assad’s reign. At least 56 people died on Friday amid the protests, including 12 military defectors who were executed in Daraa.