Thousands of anti-government protesters have occupied the centre of Syria's third largest city, Homs, insisting they will not leave until they bring down the country's leadership.

叙利亚第三大城市霍姆斯的中心广场已被数以千计的反政府抗议者占领，他们强调不推翻本届国家领导将绝不离开。

A woman told the BBC by phone crowds were still large late on Monday.

A human rights campaigner said security forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad had fired shots at the protesters, reports said.

Syria's interior ministry¹ has said the unrest amounts to armed insurrection（暴动，叛乱） .

Earlier, funerals were held for some of those killed in Sunday's violence in the city, with crowds calling for the end of Mr Assad's rule.

Eight people died in Homs on Sunday after soldiers fired on crowds protesting at the death of a tribal² leader in state custody³.

The opposition⁴ says the occupation of the city centre will continue until their political demands are met. These include the immediate⁵ lifting of Syria's longstanding emergency laws and the release of political prisoners.

'Open-ended'

Activists⁷ say that checkpoints have been set up around the square to ensure that people coming in are unarmed civilians⁸.

One opposition supporter, who said his brother was shot dead in Sunday's protests, said volunteers were providing the demonstrators with food and water.

Another, Najati Tayyara, told AFP news agency: "More than 20,000 people are taking part in the sit-in at Al-Saa Square and we have renamed it Tahrir Square like the one in Cairo.

"It is an open-ended sit-in which will continue until all our demands are satisfied."

A human rights campaigner, who is in contact with the protesters, told Reuters that a member of the security forces had ordered them to leave, before the forces opened fire and used tear gas.

At least one person was injured, according to the activist⁶.

Two residents of Homs also said they heard gunfire in the area near the square, Reuters reported.

The unprecedented⁹ wave of protests in Syria shows no sign of abating¹⁰（减少） , despite promises of reform by President Assad, says the BBC's Kim Ghattas.

Syria's official news agency has also been reporting on events in Homs. It said three army officers including a brigadier-general, together with his two sons and a nephew, were ambushed¹¹ and killed on Sunday by "armed criminal gangs" which then mutilated the bodies with sharp tools.

The northern town of Banias also saw anti-government protests on Sunday.

In a statement, the interior ministry said: "The course of the previous events... have revealed that they are an armed insurrection by armed groups belonging to Salafist organisations, especially in Homs and Banias."