Shops, markets, schools, transport services and factories were all closed in the first stages of a general strike against the Assad government in Syria. The ‘Dignity Strike’ began on December 12th and activists hope it will intensify up until the end of December, bringing in more groups of workers as well as university students. The strike was particularly strong in the Daraa province in the south of the country and in Homs, where shops were shuttered and markets were closed.

The revolutionary Local Coordination Committees report that Damascus university was almost completely shut down as students and lecturers struck on Sunday. Not far from Aleppo, the country’s largest city, government forces burned down a factory because its workers were striking. There have also been reports of government forces burning down shops in Daraa which participated in the strike.

Activists are building for the strike to escalate as follows:

21st December – Universities strike

24th December – Transport strike

27th December – Government employees strike

29th December – Shut-down of Syria’s international transport links

Send messages of support for the Syrian strikes to menasolidarity@gmail.com or add a comment to this page.