The “Dignity Strike” has entered its second day in a number of cities and towns along the Syrian coast, where most residents from the Alawite community adhered to the call made by the head of the Supreme Alawite Islamic Council in Syria and the Diaspora, Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal, who announced a general strike for five days, from 8 to 12 December 2025.
According to activists, the cities of Latakia, Tartus, Jableh, Baniyas, and Qardaha, in addition to many villages and towns along the Syrian coast and the Masyaf, Salhab, and al-Ghab areas in western Hama countryside and neighborhoods of the city of Homs, witnessed an almost complete paralysis of various aspects of life, as residents stayed in their homes and commercial shops closed their doors.
The strike announcement came in conjunction with calls issued by the interim authority “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” to celebrate the anniversary of the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime and its assumption of power on 8 December 2025. In a recorded statement, Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal said: “They want to celebrate by coercion, replacing an unjust regime with a regime that is even more unjust.”
Meanwhile, on Monday, 8 December 2025, the cities of Latakia, Tartus, Jableh, and Safita, in addition to neighborhoods in Homs and towns in the Hama countryside, had witnessed a wide-scale strike.
In contrast, activists reported that security forces affiliated with the interim authority threatened to dismiss employees participating in the strike and issued warnings to shop owners that they would face penalties if they continued to keep their businesses closed.
