Forces Fire Tear Gas

msnbc: Syrian forces fire tear gas near Damascus square

"AMMAN — Syrian security forces used batons and tear gas on Friday to prevent thousands of protesters marching from several suburbs of Damascus from reaching the capital's main Abbasside Square.

"I counted 15 mukhabarat (secret police) busloads. They went into the alleyways just north of the square chasing protesters and yelling 'you pimps, you infiltrators, you want freedom? we will give it to you'," one of the witnesses said.

Another witness who accompanied the protesters from the suburb of Harasta said thousands chanted "the people want the overthrow of the regime" and tore down numerous posters of President Bashar al-Assad plastered along the way."