Instagram

Twitter Feed

Get in touch:

Contribute to The Concordian
Got a news tip?
Post a Classified
Submit a Correction
Contact our Team

Newsletter

The Collective for Syria in Montreal protests human rights abuses

byShereen Ahmed Rafea
November 1, 2011
0 minute read
The Collective for Syria in Montreal held a march on Saturday to protest continued human rights violations in Syria. Starting at Norman Bethune Square on the corner of Guy St. and de Maisonneuve Blvd., organizers distributed Syrian flags, flowers, and red umbrellas with the words ‘Free Syria’ written on them. They also gave away masks with pictures of those who died in Syria. The masks, they said, were for anyone who did not want their faces to be seen. A small crowd of men, women and children held signs with pictures of victims and different messages. The protesters then marched towards Phillips Square chanting in French, Arabic and English and calling for the removal of President Bashar al-Assad and for the liberation of Syria. Some of the organizers expressed their hopes that the march would raise awareness. They also said that they were saddened and obsessed with news from Syria. Students present said they could not focus on their schoolwork anymore, holding up signs with statements like “Assad leave, I need to study.” In his first interview with Western media since unrest began stirring up in Syria seven months ago, Assad told The Daily Telegraph that he expected Western countries to “ratchet up pressure” on Syria, but that intervention in his country could lead to “another Afghanistan.” Syria “is the fault line, and if you play with the ground you will cause an earthquake,” said Assad in the interview, which was published on the weekend. While saying that “mistakes” had been made by his forces early on during the protests, he said that they are now only targeting terrorists. According to the United Nations, more than 3,000 people have died in Syria since the Arab Spring hit the country in mid-March.
The Collective for Syria in Montreal held a march on Saturday to protest continued human rights violations in Syria. Starting at Norman Bethune Square on the corner of Guy St. and de Maisonneuve Blvd., organizers distributed Syrian flags, flowers, and red umbrellas with the words ‘Free Syria’ written on them. They also gave away masks with pictures of those who died in Syria. The masks, they said, were for anyone who did not want their faces to be seen. A small crowd of men, women and children held signs with pictures of victims and different messages. The protesters then marched towards Phillips Square chanting in French, Arabic and English and calling for the removal of President Bashar al-Assad and for the liberation of Syria. Some of the organizers expressed their hopes that the march would raise awareness. They also said that they were saddened and obsessed with news from Syria. Students present said they could not focus on their schoolwork anymore, holding up signs with statements like “Assad leave, I need to study.” In his first interview with Western media since unrest began stirring up in Syria seven months ago, Assad told The Daily Telegraph that he expected Western countries to “ratchet up pressure” on Syria, but that intervention in his country could lead to “another Afghanistan.” Syria “is the fault line, and if you play with the ground you will cause an earthquake,” said Assad in the interview, which was published on the weekend. While saying that “mistakes” had been made by his forces early on during the protests, he said that they are now only targeting terrorists. According to the United Nations, more than 3,000 people have died in Syria since the Arab Spring hit the country in mid-March. Photo by Irina Gaber
Author
Shereen Ahmed Rafea

Comments are closed.

Related Posts