Two noteworthy developments were reported from Syria on Wednesday. One was a demonstration in Aleppo – the first in the city since the wave of protests began. The other was march by women from Banias/Baniyas (see video above).

According to a witness quoted by the New York Times, the demonstration in Aleppo started when a single student began chanting slogans outside the literature faculty at Aleppo University. It took about 10 minutes for the security to arrive and in the meantime he was joined by others (200 according to the NYT, as many as 500 in some reports). The paper adds:

The student said that members of the University of Aleppo’s student union, which is run by Syria’s ruling Baath Party, quickly confronted the protesting students, "shouting at them and labelling them agents and spies for America and Israel".

The protest was then broken up, with several people arrested. Other protests were reported at the science and law faculties of Damascus University.

The Banias women's march was interesting because until now the protests have mostly been a male affair. The women were apparently demanding the release of their arrested menfolk. Robert Mackey of the New York Times has pieced together the story.

There is still very little reliable information coming out of Syria. In a tense situation such as this, rumours fly around and many of them end up on the internet. I am wary of giving them more credence than they deserve but even so I think it's worth mentioning what some of them are about.

I have seen persistent stories in what might be called the "politicisation of food" category. On Wednesday, for example, the Now Lebanon website said:

There have been reports that the security forces are barring the distribution of wheat at all bakeries in Daraa and in Houran province’s main storages.

and ...

Syrian security forces bar entry of bread and basic foodstuff to the city of Banias. The people of the city are confirming a shortage of bread and gas.

The implication of such tales is that the regime is trying to force protesters into submission by depriving them of food and other essentials. This does sound like the sort of tactic that the regime might try, though as yet I have seen no firm evidence that it is happening.

Last week, Global Voices also published a story about 
pro-regime leaflets being packaged in bread (see picture).
   

   
(While we are on the subject of food, it's worth reading the text of 
a talk given by Rami Zurayk at the American University of Beirut last week, entitled "Food and the Arab Uprising".)

Other persistent stories tell of Syrian soldiers being shot by their colleagues for refusing to open fire on protesters. If true, they would imply dissent within the security forces – a potentially serious problem for the regime – but, again, they are difficult to confirm. 

The Guardian had a report about this on Tuesday from its correspondent in Damascus, and linked to a YouTube videoshowing an injured soldier being questioned by protesters. On the Syria Comment blog, Joshua Landis hotly disputes the Guardian's version, saying that the soldier's words have been misconstrued.

Another persistent story – and a favourite of the regime – concerns "armed gangs" supposedly linked to the protesters. The obvious motive is to discredit the protesters whose actions so far, apart from some stone-throwing and damage to property, have been overwhelmingly peaceful. However, it does seem possible that some armed elements may be taking advantage of the situation. The protesters' best course is to stay well clear of them, since nonviolence is their most powerful weapon.

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 14 April 2011.