Syria opposition calls 'day of mourning and anger' Tuesday, 31 January 2012 10:50

NICOSIA: The opposition Syrian National Council called for a "day of mourning and anger" on Tuesday after President Bashar al-Assad's security forces launched a bloody campaign that killed around 100 people.

 

In a statement on its Facebook page, the SNC deplored the lack of "swift action" by the international community to protect Syrian civilians "by all necessary means."

 

On Monday, "the regime waged a bloody campaign of massacres and terrorism that killed 100 Syrians including women and children... in Homs, using tanks and heavy weapons to bomb neighbourhoods," it said.

 

It called, in coordination with activists, for a "day of mourning and anger in the country to commemorate the victims of savage massacres," urging mosques and churches to support the cause with prayer calls and ringing bells.

 

The SNC, the most representative group opposed to Assad's regime, reaffirmed the "people's determination to fight for their freedom and dignity," stressing that they "will not give up their revolution, whatever the sacrifices."

 

"The regime is taking advantage of the cover provided to it by some regional and international parties to escalate its crackdown," it added, in a likely reference to Iran and Russia.

 

An upsurge in violence on Monday, mostly in the flashpoint central province of Homs, killed almost 100 people, including 55 civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

 

The violence, which also saw 25 soldiers killed, marked one of the bloodiest days of the revolt against Assad's regime since it erupted in March.

 

On Sunday, 80 people were reportedly killed, equally divided between military and civilian deaths, the Britain-based Observatory said in a statement sent to AFP in Nicosia.(AFP)