‘We’re here, the Syrian community, at this protest organised by Syrian Youth in Britain,’ Danny Makki, one of over 60 mainly young people outside the Syrian embassy in London, told News Line on Saturday.
Danny continued: ‘We are here in solidarity with the Syrian people in rejection of new unprecedented EU sanctions, persistent Free Syria Army terrorism and to demand a peaceful solution to our country’s crisis.
‘We want to show the world and especially the Syrian people that we have a voice and that we will never let the imperialist powers destroy Syria in the name of human rights.
‘We Syrians believe that the West are supporting Islamist and Jihadi terrorist groups in Syria, and is imposing reprehensible sanctions on an already beleagured people.
‘My message to the people of Britain, including workers, is to confront the hypocrisy of Western foreign policy and this conspicuous attempt to destabilise a sovereign country.
‘Syria is paying the price of confronting Western hegemony and supporting national resistance movements in the region.
‘The West only promotes democracy when it is in their interests.
‘This is manifested in their unequivocal support for despotic regimes in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, who send their vision of democracy to Syria through suicide bombs and jihadi fighters.’
Rizk Rizk added: ‘We’ve created a group of youth called Syrian Youth in Britain.
‘This is the second time we are organising the demonstration outside our embassy here in London.
‘We are eleven young people, all under 26, who started the group.
‘We noticed there are so many Syrians living in Britain who wanted to support President Assad and our government and to refuse the armed gangs who call themselves the Free Syrian Army, but to call for dialogue.
‘Most of the armed gangs are not Syrians.
‘A British journalist who was kidnapped a few weeks ago said the jihadists who held him were not Syrians – none of them were and ten to fifteen were British.
‘The British government has been supporting the opposition regardless of the fact that most Syrians still support their government and the president.
‘This is also regardless of the fact that the opposition is armed, targeting civilians and inciting sectarianism.
‘The government are also misinforming the British people of the reality of the conflict through the media, including the BBC.
‘Just yesterday, when William Hague decided to give £5m to the opposition, he said it was going to be “non-lethal” support.
‘But the oligarchic monarchies in the Arab Gulf are providing weapons to the jihadists in Syria.
‘So when the British government provides “non-lethal” support, they make the lethal support of the Arab monarchies more effective and lethal.
‘This is by providing them with technology and satellite phones. By this, Hague is misleading the British people.
‘We’re here to support the Syrian Army, which is the protector of the Syrian people and the guarantor to the country of Syria.
‘We are sure the government and the army are going to win.
‘That is why we are not afraid of demonstrating and showing the truth, because we are the Syrian people.
‘I heard this morning that the terrorists have been cleared out of Salahddin district in Aleppo.’
Journalist graduate Shoruk Khaddour, 23, said: ‘I’m here showing support for my country, for the Army and, most importantly, for my people who after 17 months have managed to resist the conspiracy against Syria and fight off terrorism.
‘I’m showing support for what the Army are doing in Aleppo, for what they did in Damascus and for risking their lives to keep us safe.
‘It is obvious that from the very beginning it has been a Western-backed conspiracy, that includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey as well.
‘Turkish prime minister Erdogan recently said that Iran and the Syrian president are equivalent to the anti-Christ.
‘It is obvious they are trying to stir sectarian tension.
‘They play the religion card because they know there are fighters coming from everywhere who think they are fighting a holy war.
‘A lot of them are just mercenaries.
‘But the Syrian Army is doing a really good job.
‘They managed to clear up Damascus and are now doing the same in Aleppo.
‘A lot of people who say they are leftist here in the UK are giving in to imperialism, even though they say they are anti-imperialism.
‘We are saying “don’t fall for the propaganda”.
‘British workers and youth should say no to intervention and let Syrians take control of their country and their future.
‘Syrians have said no intervention and no to terrorism, so should the British people.’
Allaa, 21, also a graduate student, added: ‘We’re here to support Syria, specifically to support the people of Aleppo and to reject intervention.
‘We stand by our president, we stand by the truth.
‘We support the reforms and the road to democracy that the president outlined.
‘The West ignores the fact that in 2014 there are going to be presidential elections.
‘We’ve already had local elections and in 2010, the president said in an interview with Dutch TV that democracy is not the means to an end, it is the end.
‘He said we are working towards that but it doesn’t happen overnight.
‘He was already talking about democracy before the Arab Spring.
‘I would say to young people in Britain “don’t rely on one news source, you have to be open-minded”.
‘The British government does have an agenda. They are looking out for their interests, for the Saudi rulers’ and the Israelis’ interests.’
Student Intisar Abdul Nabi, 22, said: ‘I’m here to support the president of Syria.
‘He is defending our country against Israel and America who want to take over the whole of the Middle East. They are after the oil.
‘I don’t believe the UK foreign secretary William Hague when he said he is giving £5m to the opposition in “non-lethal” support.
‘What he is supplying will help kill people.
‘British workers and young people should stand up against their government.
‘Everyone is suffering here, they can’t get job, everything is going up and they are cutting benefits as well.’
