Posted at 7:15 a.m. PDT Friday, October 6, 2000

Protesters try to storm U.S. embassy in Syria

DAMSCUS (Reuters) - Syrian riot police clashed with protesters to prevent them from storming the U.S. embassy in Damascus Friday, and many were reported wounded and arrested in what was a rare anti-American protest in Syria.

The protest -- the second in Damascus this week -- was one of several demonstrations staged in the Arab world on a ``day of rage'' -- declared by Islamic militant group Hamas -- to protest against the killing of around 70 Palestinians and Arabs by Israeli forces over the last week.

Scores of riot police blocked the road leading to the U.S. embassy complex and fired teargas at Syrian and Palestinian demonstrators to try and stop them reaching the compound in the fashionable Abu Remmaneh district.

The angry crowd, cursing the United States and Israel, hurled stones at the riot police who fought back with truncheons and tear gas. Many people were reported wounded from both sides and some protesters were detained. The protesters, shouting the Islamic rallying cry of ``Allahu Akbar'' (God is Greatest), were kept some 500 metres (yards) away from the embassy.

Wednesday, thousands of demonstrators staged a similar show of force and one of them penetrated the compound and pulled down the U.S. flag before being detained.

http://www.mercurycenter.com/breaking/docs/030989.htm

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), October 06, 2000