Hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside the Syrian embassy in London on Saturday, tearing up pictures of President Bashar al-Assad in protest at a deadly crackdown on anti-regime activists.
About 600 demonstrators came from across Britain for the march through the capital, which was also in support of anti-regime movements in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen.
Protesters brandished posters of Assad and Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi with red crosses drawn over their faces and carried banners reading “Arab puppet rulers must go”.
They used their shoes to hit large posters bearing pictures of Assad and Kadhafi, a deep insult in Arab culture.
“He (Assad) is ruthless and vain and in a strong position,” said one female protester, who fled Syria 35 years ago.
“Everyone is terrified of the regime in Syria, you cannot talk about politics, you cannot talk about anything. The walls have ears,” added the woman.
She declined to give her name for fear that family members still in Syria could be targeted.
On Saturday in Syria, security forces rained gunfire on the restive port city of Banias, killing at least three protesters, activists said.
Human rights groups say more than 600 people have been killed and 8,000 jailed or gone missing in the crackdown since demonstrations erupted in mid-March