Violence erupts during Syrian protests; 27 deaths reported
Military forces and pro-regime elements in a western Syria city assaulted demonstrators Friday in a blunt show of force that left dozens slain and wounded, and medical personnel in tears.
At least 27 people died and many more were injured in Hama, according to Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an entity in regular touch with activists in the country.
The melee erupted in the city of Hama, the Syrian town known for a 1982 government massacre against the civilian population, and the memory of that action is alive among protesters defying the regime.