MONTREAL: Some three hundred demonstrators gathered in downtown Montreal Saturday to to call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
Chanting "the people want an end to the regime" and, in Arabic, "God, Syria, freedom is all we want," the protesters gathered in front of Concordia University in west Montreal before the start of their march.
In a vivid piece of street theater, protesters wearing T-shirts adorned with photos of Assad "opened fire" on other demonstrators, a grim reference to the more than 1,100 civilians that human rights groups say have been killed during protests in the country.
"The Syrian people deserve better than this, they deserve freedom," said Abdul Hamdo, a computer analyst and ethnic Syrian.
Added another man, 42, who did not want to give his name: "I am scared for my friends and family who are still there."
Canada announced economic sanctions against Syria at the end of May, and declared persona non grata those in charge in Damascus.
Canada, and particularly Montreal, has a large community of people from Lebanon, which borders Syria.
Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011
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