Syrians protest after Russian veto

Feb 5 2012

Syrians have demonstrated outside the Russian consulate in protest at Russia's veto of a UN Security Council resolution seeking an end to the violent repression in Syria.

Organisers said 90-100 people took part in the protest outside the consulate in Melville Street, Edinburgh.

They held banners bearing messages such as "Free Syria" and "Russian Government lets Syrian people down".

Foreign Secretary William Hague has urged Arab countries to push ahead with action to end the violence in Syria, promising the backing of Western countries after Russia and China blocked United Nations support.

He agreed that the two countries had "blood on their hands" and would embolden the Syrian regime in pursuing its deadly crackdown by vetoing a draft resolution.

Moscow and Beijing drew international condemnation for their stance, which came hours after a bombardment by security forces of the city of Homs which activists said killed more than 200 people.

Mounir Atassi, one of the organisers of the protest in Edinburgh, said: "We are demonstrating to condemn the Russian veto of the Security Council resolution, which disappointed us and our families in Syria.

"Everyone is looking for peace and freedom in the region and it was really disappointing. We have gathered here to show our condemnation and to show our solidarity with the Syrian people. It's very frustrating to see that the international community cannot or don't want to protect the Syrian people."

He said that the protesters signed a petition condemning Russia's veto and asking the Russian government to think again about its decision. Mr Atassi said: "We delivered the petition through the mailbox. We tried to speak to the people in the consulate but they refused and were just watching from the windows."

Lothian and Borders Police said the protest passed off peacefully.