Ayhan Şimşek
01 October 2016•Update: 01 October 2016
BERLIN
Hundreds of people rallied in the German capital Saturday to call for an end to the Syrian regime’s continuing airstrikes on Aleppo, which has killed at least 500 people in the past two weeks.
Demonstrators marched in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district, raising flags of the Syrian revolution and carrying placards that read “Save Aleppo”, “Aleppo is Burning”, “Stop Assad and Putin” and “Russia Stop Bombing Civilians!”
Most of the protestors were Syrian refugees, but many Germans also joined the rally, which was called by several Syrian NGOs, including Actions4Syria.
During speeches at the rally, organizers warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in Aleppo, where nearly 275,000 civilians find themselves under siege.
They called on international community to act rapidly to stop the regime’s heavy bombardment, and ensure humanitarian access to the thousands of civilians.
The Assad regime ended on Sept. 19 a weeklong cease-fire to begin a major offensive in Aleppo, which has killed at least 500 people, including nearly 100 children.
Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests -- which erupted as part of the "Arab Spring" uprisings -- with unexpected ferocity.
The Syrian Center for Policy Research, a Beirut-based NGO, has put the total death toll from the five-year conflict at more than 470,000.
