Protests ripple across Syria, witnesses say

(CNN) — Protests snowballed across Syria on Friday, with security forces firing at demonstrators outside the capital and using tear gas to disperse crowds in other cities, witnesses said.

Security forces in the Damascus suburb of Douma used gunfire amid protests there, according to witnesses and opposition sources. One man was shot in the head with a rubber bullet and dozens were injured, they said.

Protests were also reported by witnesses in the cities of Daraa, Latakia, Homs, Baniyas and Kamishli, the source said. Opposition sources cited witnesses in Homs as saying thousands of people had gathered around a mosque.

Opposition leaders promised demonstrations in Syria after weekly Muslim prayers on Friday. Activists and protesters say dozens of people have been killed recently in Daraa in the south and Latakia in the west — both centers of ferment.

Activists, who have many political and economic grievances, have been riled in recent days by President Bashar al-Assad.

They are upset that he failed to announce the lifting of the country’s state of emergency during a national TV address on Wednesday and didn’t properly address, in their view, complaints and concerns of people in the streets.

Along with the turnout in Daraa, there were demonstrations in nearby towns such as Jasem and Al Sanameen.

Security forces used tear gas in several locations to try to disperse demonstrators, witnesses said.

An eyewitness in Al Sanameen, who did not want to be named for security reasons, said 3,000 people were marching from a nearby town, but the army was at the entrance to the city and not letting the protesters in.

“I don’t know if they are going to be allowed in. There is a lot of army, a lot of troops,” he said.

“People are cheering for peace and freedom,” he said.

In Damascus, witnesses said the Abdul Karim Rifai mosque had been surrounded by security forces who had fired rubber bullets.