Hundreds Rally in Paris to Mark Syria Anniversary
Several hundred people including key figures in the opposition Syrian National Council rallied in Paris Thursday to mark the anniversary of Syria's revolt and denounce President Bashar al-Assad.
"Long live a free Syria!" the Socialist mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, told the crowd gathered outside Paris city hall. "The suffering, the horror that this people have been living through for a year is unsustainable."
"Every day, dozens of men, women and children are being murdered. The regime's leaders must answer for this crime against humanity," foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said, reading a statement from Foreign Minister Alain Juppe.
SNC chief Burhan Ghalioun at the rally hailed opposition activists in Syria, where monitors say the revolt has claimed more than 9,100 lives.
He said he "salutes our young people who have for a year fought a battle without relief, a difficult and bloody battle".
A banner reading "Paris supports the Syrian people" was attached to the facade of city hall while the crowd chanted: "End the massacre in Syria!"
In Syria tens of thousands of people waving Syrian flags and Assad's portrait rallied in Damascus and other cities to mark the anniversary.
Source: Agence France Presse
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