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Thousands of Syrian protesters marched in the streets of a Damascus suburb Friday, shouting and chanting against the government. Witnesses say security forces used tear gas against the protesters who were marching towards the capital after Friday prayers.     A Facebook website supporting change in Syria showed videos of protesters marching in the streets of nearly a dozen Syrian cities.
    In the mostly Sunni Muslim city of Horns, witnesses say protesters dispersed as security forces fired automatic rifles.
    In the flashpoint port city of Banias, scores of protesters marched towards the city center to demonstrate against the government, despite the presence of army troops. In a move to appease protesters, the government announced the release Friday of some prisoners arrested during recent sectarian strife.
    A video released by the opposition Sham TV showed dozens of protesters in Banias being beaten by what appeared to be Syrian secret police.
    Media figures and academics sympathetic to the government tried to downplay the violence and alleged government brutality in interviews with two pan-Arab television networks.