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Edition: U.S. Article Comments (0) Slideshow Video Full Focus Photos of the week Our top photos from the past week. Full Article Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Palin returns with feisty, anti-establishment speech 16 Apr 2011 China raises bank reserves again 8:25am EDT Actor Nicolas Cage arrested in New Orleans 16 Apr 2011 World finance chiefs chastise U.S. on budget gap 16 Apr 2011 Syria protesters call for freedom after Assad pledge | 10:55am EDT Discussed 83 Obama to lay out deficit plan with focus on tax, spending 81 White House warns on debt limit, says Obama regrets vote 74 UPDATE 1-Geithner says Congress will pass debt limit increase Watched Cupless bra combats cleavage crinkle Fri, Apr 15 2011 South Korean "super gun" packs hi-tech killing power Mon, Feb 14 2011 Ship carries injured Libyans to Tunisia Sat, Apr 16 2011 Syria protesters call for freedom after Assad pledge Tweet Share this By Khaled Yacoub Oweis AMMAN (Reuters) - Thousands of Syrians chanted slogans calling for greater freedom at independence day rallies on Sunday, witnesses said, a day after President Bashar al-Assad promised to lift emergency law. "The people want... Email Print Related News France says it does not aim to topple Arab leaders Sat, Apr 16 2011 Analysis & Opinion 4 Republican hopefuls in New Hampshire find tepid Tea Party turnout Human rights and the US as global judge Related Topics World » Syria » Related Video Syrian mass protests mount Sat, Apr 16 2011 Syria's Assad pledges to lift emergency law 1 / 10 Syria's President Bashar al-Assad delivers a speech to a new cabinet he named last week during a broadcast by Syrian state television in Damascus in this still image taken from video April 16, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Syrian TV via Reuters TV By Khaled Yacoub Oweis AMMAN | Sun Apr 17, 2011 10:55am EDT AMMAN (Reuters) - Thousands of Syrians chanted slogans calling for greater freedom at independence day rallies on Sunday, witnesses said, a day after President Bashar al-Assad promised to lift emergency law. "The people want freedom," several hundred people shouted at the grave of independence leader Ibrahim Hananu in Syria's second city Aleppo, which has been mostly free of pro-democracy protests that erupted more than a month ago in the south. Hundreds also turned out in the southern city of Suweida, in the heart of the country's Druze heartland. They chanted "God, Syria, freedom, that's all," before coming under attack from Assad loyalists, a woman at the demonstration said. "They came at us with sticks and also hit us with the pictures they were carrying of Bashar -- the same president who was talking about freedom yesterday," she said. The demonstrations, which rights campaigners said included a march by about 1,500 people in the city of Banias, were held on the day Syria marked the anniversary of the departure of French soldiers 65 years ago. Assad said on Saturday legislation to replace emergency law, in place for almost 50 years, should be ready by next week. But he did not address protesters' demands to curb Syria's pervasive security apparatus and dismantle its authoritarian system. Rights groups say more than 200 people have been killed since demonstrations erupted in Deraa on March 18 in protest against the arrest of youths who had scrawled graffiti inspired by the Arab uprisings in North Africa. Witnesses said thousands gathered in a main Deraa square after noon prayers on Sunday, chanting for "the downfall of the regime." The scene would have been unthinkable in Syria just a month ago, but residents said the mood was festive and there was little sign of security forces in the streets. The unprecedented unrest has spread across the tightly controlled state, posing the sternest challenge yet to Assad, who assumed the presidency in 2000 when his father, Hafez al-Assad, died after 30 years in power. But the head of Germany's intelligence service was quoted on Sunday as saying the Assad dynasty's history of crushing dissent meant a North Africa-style uprising was unlikely. "Remember that the father of the current president a few decades back murdered as many as 30,000 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Hama," Ernst Uhrlau told Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper, referring to Hafez al-Assad's crushing of a Muslim Brotherhood uprising in 1982. NO LENIENCY Syrian opposition figures said Assad's pledge to replace emergency law with other legislation was likely only to preserve tough restrictions on freedom of speech and assembly in the country, under Baath Party rule since 1963. Emergency law bans public gatherings of more than five people and served to throttle any public dissent until Syrians began taking to the streets, emboldened by the popular uprisings that ousted autocratic leaders in Egypt and Tunisia. In a speech to his new cabinet broadcast on Saturday, Assad drew a line between what he called "demands for reform and intentions to create chaos and sabotage." 1 2 Next World Syria Tweet this Share this Link this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language, all capital letters or appear to be spam, and we review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. 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