Activities included sit-ins and closure of shops and universities, followed by the shutdown of transportation networks and a general public sector strike.
[citation needed] The Syrian government reportedly responded to the strike by deploying elements of its repressive apparatus and by using violence.
[12] Some amateur footage on social media networks showed security forces breaking the locks of stores participating in the strike.
The expatriated opposition body called the Syrian National Council said in a statement that the "Dignity Strike" launched that Sunday was widely observed in 12 provinces across Syria "against all expectations.
"[17] "Nadi al-Tufula" (Club Childhood), a small private elementary school in Damascus founded by women with a history of teaching nonviolence,[18] tried to join the strike.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced that the strike was being "very widely observed" in southern Syria's Daraa province, Idlib, Homs area and the Damascus countryside.