Why did people go to the streets to protest?

The Syrian government is responsible for more than 2,000 deaths in its crackdown against protests, says U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Residents of the city say soldiers and tanks are firing on civilians and food and medicine are running low. Activists have dismissed a government decree to allow opposition parties after decades of Baath party rule. (26) Multi-party rule was a key demand of protesters who have been taking to the streets in large numbers across Syria since mid-March to call for the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad.
    Mrs. Clinton repeated an earlier statement that the United States believed the Assad government " is responsible for the deaths of more than 2,000 people of all ages. " (27) She added that the U. S. and its allies were working to apply more pressure on Syria beyond the addition of more individuals to a sanctions blacklist.